Matching the Covenant
by Alcharma
Summary: After graduation and the destruction of the Mayor, Buffy decides to visit some old friends: Caleb Danvers, Pogue Perry, Reid Garwin, and Tyler Simms. A BuffyCovenant crossover. COMPLETED.
1. Old Friends, New Feelings

Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Covenant. Each belongs to its respective genius, Joss Whedon and Renny Harlin. Too bad, I would have a lot of fun with those four incredibly gorgeous boys if they belonged to me... ;) They didn't have a script online for it, so all the lines, though copied from the movie, came from me watching and rewatching parts of the movie until I got them right!

This idea came from watching The Covenant the other day as well as from amusewithaview's challenge at tthfanfic, "Matching the Covenant." I completely agree with him/her that these boys are so gorgeous that it's quite sad that there aren't many Buffy/Covenant fics out there! The line "pick your poison, taste the rainbow, use whatever analogy you wish: they're all pretty darn tasty" is also taken from his/her challenge, as I felt that this line was too good to pass up!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! I haven't really decided on a pairing yet (I'm assuming Pogue's out of bounds since he has a girlfriend... but you never know!), but I'm leaning toward Buffy/Caleb or Buffy/Reid... Or Buffy/Tyler... Yeah I have no idea, they're all wonderful and so deliciously hot! Let me know what direction you think I should head in!

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Buffy Summers stepped off of her plane from Los Angeles into an airport located somewhere in New England. Smiling at the stewardess who had wished her a good night, she swung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way down several corridors and escalators, stopping in front of the baggage carriage for her flight. A few minutes later, the carriage began to turn, signaling the oncoming luggage, and Buffy spotted her bag instantly, grabbing it before it could make another full rotation. Exiting the crowded airport, she hailed a cab, throwing her bag and backpack into the back seat once one stopped in front of her. Giving the cab driver the address of her destination with a smile, Buffy leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes, knowing that she had at least half an hour to relax.

Buffy had lived in Massachusetts until she was fifteen years old. When she had turned fifteen, her life had changed drastically: her parents divorced, her mother had accepted a job in Sunnydale, California, causing them to leave their home of over a decade and move across the country, and most importantly, at the age of fifteen, Buffy Anne Summers had been called as the Vampire Slayer. You know the drill, into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil blah, blah, blah. However, before all of this had happened, Buffy had lived a comfortable life in New England with her parents, attending a prestigious private school, and keeping the company of the most popular boys in school: Caleb Danvers, Pogue Perry, Reid Garwin, and Tyler Simms. Pick your poison, taste the rainbow, use whatever analogy you wish: they were all pretty darn tasty.

Because of these boys, Buffy had learned of the supernatural and the existence of magic years before she was called as the slayer. Although they had appeared to be normal teenagers, they shared many similarities: not only were they descendants of the original families that settled Ipswich Colony around the time of the Salem witch trials, they had also inherited supernatural powers through their respective family bloodlines, having gotten their first taste of magic on their thirteenth birthdays. Since Buffy was one of their best friends and practically family to all of them, they had broken their bond of secrecy and had told her everything. In turn, she had told them all about her destiny as the Slayer and had even taken them along on a few of her patrols despite the apprehensions of her Watcher, Merrick. At first, Buffy had refused to move to California, not wanting to leave her childhood friends, but had eventually caved, knowing that she would have had to live with her dad if she stayed. After a tearful goodbye to her best friends, Buffy had left them to start a new life with her mother in Sunnydale.

But now she was back. After defeating the demon-mayor at graduation, blowing up the high school but the world in the process, Buffy had decided she needed a break from her life, deciding to take a year off before college and visit her old friends. Bidding her mother, Willow, Xander, and her new Watcher, Giles goodbye at the end of the summer, she had hopped on a plane and flew to the East Coast, not calling ahead to tell them that she was going to take them up on their offer to visit, wanting to surprise them.

"Miss?" Buffy opened her eyes, seeing that he was had pulled up in front of a huge, beautiful mansion, the kind that reeked of old money. "We're here."

"Thanks." She handed him her fare and grabbed her bags, stepping out of the car and slamming the door behind her. Watching as the cab turned around and exited the property, Buffy swung her bags over her shoulder, the gravel in the driveway crunching under her feet as she walked up to the beautifully carved wooden front door and lifted the brass knocker. Letting it drop with a loud bang, she craned her head to look up at the beautiful building, hear eyes snapping back to the door as it opened. A tall, gorgeous boy with shirt, dark hair opened the door, his chocolate brown eyes widening when he saw who it was. "Well, well, well. Caleb. You grew up sexy, didn't you?" She gave him a small smirk before dropping her bags to the floor and jumping into his arms.

"Buffy!" He laughed as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, and he pulled her into a hug, spinning her around. "What are you doing here?" Putting her down, he grabbed her bags before ushering her into the foyer. She walked into the front hallway, looking around in awe. Even after being in this house hundreds, if not thousands of times, she was still entranced by the amazing beauty of the interior.

"Killed a giant demon snake, saved the world, decided to take a year off and visit my favorite boys," she reached up and ruffled his messy hair, causing him to laugh kiss her cheek in response.

"C'mon, I'll show you to your room." He led her up the intricately carved wooden staircase to the second floor, down the hall, and to the room across from his, all the while telling her how happy he was that she had come to visit. Stopping in front of a wooden door, he held it open for her, and she walked in, her jaw all but dropping to the floor as she looked around the room. It was huge, with wooden paneling and floors, antique furniture and paintings lining the walls. Running over to the window, she looked out over the grounds, taking in a gorgeous garden and pool.

"Damn, I forgot how beautiful your house was." Turning back toward her friend, she saw that he had placed her bags onto the gold-sheeted four-poster bed, and was looking over at her with a smile. "Did you have any plans for tonight? Cause if you do, go on, I'll just chill here. You know I can spend hours in this place..."

"No! No, it's no problem!" He crossed the room and enveloped her in a hug, clearly happy to see him.

"I didn't mean to intrude on your life... I should have called ahead." Smiling softly as he let her go, she walked over to the bed, unpacking her things and placing them into the huge walk-in closet.

"Buffy." She turned around to see him giving her a look. "You can drop by whenever you want. You know you're always welcome here." He gave her a smile, reaching into his pocket as his phone rang. "Hey." There was a pause as he listened to whoever was talking, and Buffy continued to unpack her things. "Yeah?" Another pause. "Alright, see you soon, man."

"Who was it?" Buffy asked, walking out of the closet and stopping at his side, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"Pogue." Her eyes lit up at the mention of another of her best friends. Unfortunately he was off the market as he was dating Kate Lucas, one of Spencer's most privileged elite. From what she had heard from her boys, she was a fun-loving party girl who was used to getting the best of everything and was difficult to satisfy. "Up for a party at the Dells tonight?"

"Oh hell yeah." Buffy gave him a bright smile.

"Alright, he'll be here in about half an hour." He gave her another quick hug before exiting the room, leaving her to finish unpacking and getting changed. Turning to look at the extremely comfortably looking bed, she took a running start and jumped onto it, sighing happily as she sunk into the soft sheets. Getting up off the bed, she crossed her room to the adjoining bathroom after grabbing her make-up bag from her duffel bag, quickly washing her face and applying some cover up and mascara before returning to the bedroom and walking over to the closet. Yanking her sweatshirt and white t-shirt over her head, she rifled through the various hangers before pulling out a simple black spaghetti-strap tank top with a low neckline and beading at the bust line. Grabbing her favorite black leather jacket, she slipped it on before kicking off her flip flops and pulling on a pair of combat boots. Walking out of the closet and to the bed, she extracted her phone, wallet, a stake, and a small silver knife from her backpack, putting her phone and wallet in her jeans pockets and tucking the stake and knife into her waistband. Giving the room one last look, she exited the room, descending the stairs and seeing Caleb at the bottom. He had changed into a tight pair of gray jeans and a gray v-neck t-shirt, both which showed off his muscular form. She gave him an appreciative look, and he smirked back at her, his own eyes sweeping over her body.

"You look beautiful." She gave a small laugh, blushing slightly at the compliment.

"You're not too bad yourself, gorgeous." Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, effectively interrupting their moment. Waving his hand in the direction of the door, Caleb stepped back, allowing her to answer it, knowing that Pogue would be more excited to see Buffy than himself.

"Surprise!" she yelled, yanking the door open, smiling brightly as the long-haired boy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Buffy!" He stepped forward and swept her small form up into a bone-crushing hug, causing her to laugh at his enthusiasm. "What are you-..."

"Demon snake. Saved the world. Needed a break," she recited, giving him the shortened version. She smiled at her, and he let her go, taking a step back. He looked good: long hair and chiseled features, soft hazel eyes and pink, pouty lips. Dressed in a black t-shirt, jeans, and black leather jacket, he was the perfect picture of sex on legs. That Kate was a lucky girl to get him.

"Hey, man," greeted Caleb, sidestepping Buffy, and shaking his friend's hand, having pulled a black jacket over his gray t-shirt. "Shall we get going?"

"Yeah, sure." He grabbed Buffy's hand and led her over to a bight yellow motorcycle. "Hop on."

"Woah!" Buffy ran her hand across the smooth surface. "Nice ride! New?"

"Yep," he said, nodding and straddling the bike. "Just got it last year." Buffy swung her leg over, molding her body to his, and smiled back at Caleb as he got on behind her. Clearly, the bike wasn't meant for three people, but they squeezed together, Buffy giving a small smirk as she was sandwiched between the two gorgeous boys. Wrapping her arms around Pogue's waist and feeling Caleb wrap his around her waist, she buried her face into Pogue's leather-clad back as he started the bike and sped out of the driveway. About fifteen minutes later, Pogue parked the bike and hopped off, offering Buffy a hand off. Taking his hand, she slid from the bike, looking around to see that they were standing near the edge of a cliff. Walking over to the edge, she peered down, seeing that it was at least a two hundred foot drop. Hearing a car approaching, she spun around to see a shiny, black SUV pull up next to Pogue's bike, and she hurried toward it, stopping when she reached the driver's side door.

"Buffy!" Tyler greeted, his face lighting up when he saw her. He was a year younger than the others but equally as gorgeous. He had short, messy, brown hair, a softer, more pretty-boy looking face, and and brilliant blue eyes. Slamming the door behind him, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her toward him, dropping a soft kiss on her cheek. "What brings you back here?" Buffy gave a small laugh as his arms tightened around her waist when she started to pull away.

"Oh, same old, same old. Saved the world and decided to come visit my favorite boys." Giving her a small peck on the lips, he let her go, grabbing her hand and pulled her away from the car and toward the edge of the cliff.

"Hey boys," he greeted, nodding at Pogue and Caleb. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good, man," answered Pogue, giving Tyler a fist pound, both spreading their fingers on impact, simulating an explosion. Letting go of Tyler's hand, Buffy walked over to the edge, giving a small jolt as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and a muscled body mold itself to her back. Glancing up, she smiled when she saw Caleb looking down at her.

"'Sup, fellas?" Buffy turned to see Reid walking up to them. "Yo, Buffy!" he greeted as he spotted her, sauntering over to her and grabbing her hand, pulling her away from Caleb and dipping her, giving her a small kiss, eliciting a small giggle. Placing her back on feet, he gave her a grin before taking a step back to give her a once over. "Damn, girl. You look good! How long's it been?"

"Way too long, Reid." Her eyes swept over his body, taking in the surfer-looking blond hair and defined cheekbones, his form-fitting jeans, white t-shirt, and black jacket thrown over a red sweatshirt. Buffy had to admit, she had always had a little crush on him. Maybe it was that bad boy thing, she thought as she remembered the various tattoos covering his well-muscled body.

"Where were you?" Tyler asked Reid, giving him an annoyed glare. "I stopped by to give you a lift."

"Had things to do." Buffy rolled her eyes at his vagueness, causing Caleb to give her an amused smirk. "How's the party?"

"Don't know," answered Buffy, giving him a smile. "Just got here."

"Well hell, boys." He walked over to the edge, kicking off a few small rocks, and watching as they plummeted toward the ground. "Let's drop in." Grabbing Buffy's hand, he pulled her so that her body was flush up against his. "Trust me?"

"Always," she answered automatically, but she inwardly winced as she realized what he was going to do. Seeing his eyes go completely black, she buried her face in his neck, taking a deep breath. Sure, she was the Slayer and had faced more than most, but she wasn't the type of girl that jumped off two-hundred-feet cliffs for fun. Feeling him take a step forward, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, removing her face from the crook of his neck as his arms secured their grip on her waist.

"Ready?" She looked over at Caleb, who nodded, and gave Reid a nod of her own, tightening her grip as he jumped off the edge. Feeling her breath catch in her throat, she managed not to scream, locking her eyes with Reid's and giving him an excited smile, her long blond hair whipping around her head as they plummeted to the ground. A few seconds later, his feet hit the floor, causing her to slide down his body slightly as a result of an impact. After she unhooked her limbs, Ried dropped her to her feet, bringing a hand to her hair in an attempt to smooth it down. Laughing, Buffy closed her eyes as his hand abandoned her hair and moved to cup her cheek. Opening her eyes as the ground shook, she saw that the other three had landed behind them. Turning away from her friends, Buffy took in the sight of several bonfires, a stage from which the DJ was controlling the music, and a large mass of people, talking and dancing in small groups. Grabbing her hand, Tyler pulled her forward toward the party, leading her over a small hill and in the direction of two girls.

"Hey, Kate," Caleb greeted, and Buffy stepped out from behind Reid to get a better look at her. So this was Pogue's new girlfriend. Buffy shrugged mentally. She was pretty: long, straight dark hair, smooth, tanned skin, a beautiful smile. Looking to Kate's left, she noticed a pale, girl with her long blond hair pulled back into a messy bun and dressed in a midriff-baring sweater and short jean miniskirt. Inwardly raising an eyebrow at the girl's revealing attire, she turned her attention back to the conversation. Kate had stepped forward and now had her arms wrapped around Pogue's waist, giggling as he dropped a soft kiss on her lips.

"I know, I had family thing," Pogue was saying. "Who's this?" Buffy looked back toward the pretty blond, wanting to know who she was as well.

"My new roommate." Kate pointed at the boys as she started to introduce them. "Sarah, this is Pogue Parry," ‒ he gave Sarah a nod before turning his attention back to his girlfriend ‒"Tyler Simms" ‒ Tyler gave her a small wave ‒ "Reid-..." She was cut off as Reid stepped forward, giving Sarah's hand a kiss.

"Garwin. Reid Garwin. Good evening." He paused, and Buffy rolled her eyes, laughing softly at his obvious attraction for her. He stepped back, throwing his arm around Caleb's shoulder. "You know, Sarah's my grandmother's name. You kind of remind me of he-..."

"Caleb Danvers," Caleb interrupted, nudging Reid's arm away and stepping forward, offering a hand that she willingly shook. "And you don't bring my grandmother to mind in any way."

"Sarah," she greeted, giving him a bright smile.

"Hey," Kate greeted, giving Buffy a curious look. "I'm Kate. I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, sorry," Caleb took Buffy's hand a led her to the front of the group. "Kate, Sarah, this is Buffy."

"Hey guys," Buffy smiled and gave the two girls a small wave. She was extremely protective of her boys, but they seemed like good people, so she decided to play nice.

"Buffy, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot bout you." Kate smiled at her and gestured up at Pogue.

"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow at Pogue, and he shrugged, pretending that he had no idea what his girlfriend was talking about.

"You're pretty much all they talk about," Kate said, laughing at the surprised look on Buffy's face.

"All good things, I hope!" Buffy gave her a laugh of her own, and Kate nodded with a smile. However, before she could say anything else, a snobby looking girl with frizzy brown hair and a fur-trimmed sweater nudged her aside, seriously invading her personal space, and stopping in front of Caleb.

"Hi, Caleb," she greeted him with a smile. Buffy cocked an eyebrow and turned back to look at Tyler who rolled his eyes. Apparently this girl had a thing for Caleb that wasn't being reciprocated.

"Kira," he greeted with a nod. His gaze flicked over to Buffy's, which she took that as a 'get me out of here!' look.

"How was your summer?" She batted her eyelashes at him, and he shifted, clearly uncomfortable.

"Uhhh..." However, before he could answer, and before Buffy could take the attention off of him, Kira turned her back on them.

"I'm Kira." She spun around gave a small, tight smile as Sarah introduced herself. She continued to ignore Buffy, and she didn't know whether to be offended or relieved, but as Kira kept talking, she settled on relieved. "Oh, right. From the Boston public." She paused, raising an eyebrow at the blond. Then, she continued in the voice of the rich, spoiled girl that Buffy had pegged her as. "Tell me, how does one go about getting into Spencer from a public?"

"Hey, you'd better watch your mouth," Buffy said in a low voice, narrowing her eyes. She made to walk up to the girl, but Tyler grabbed her arm, shaking his head. She could have easily broken out of his hold, but she stayed where she was, settling on glaring at the girl.

"Why don't you give it a rest, Kira?" Caleb asked, raising a hand in Buffy's direction to tell her to let him handle it. However, before he could get another word in, a tall boy with long wavy brown hair, the very picture of a jock in his letterman's jacket, shoved Caleb aside and walked over to Kira's side.

"Why don't _you_ give it a rest?" he asked, getting all up in Caleb's face. Tyler tightened his grip on her arm, and Buffy gave him a look, and he dropped his hand, giving her a small smile.

"I don't want any trouble, Aaron," Caleb stated, raising his hands in front of him in a gesture of surrender. Buffy eyed the boy suspiciously, knowing that he wasn't just going to leave it at that.

"I'm sure you don't." Aaron took a step toward Caleb, and Buffy took a step forward to counter his. Caleb reached down and placed a hand on her stomach, telling her to stand down. Buffy opened her mouth to offer a witty retort, but was interrupted by Aaron's friend who had appeared behind him.

"These posers make me want to puke."

"Is that right?" Reid asked, lunging forwards, ready to jump on the guy.

"Woah!" Buffy stepped in front of him, placing her hands on his chest to still his movement. "Let it go," she whispered, pushing him back slightly.

"I think you owe Kira an apology." Buffy turned around, her hands still planted firmly on Reid's chest, only to see Caleb smirking and pointing from Kira to Sarah.

"Actually, I think it's Kira who owes Sarah the apology." Sarah smirked but jumped back when Aaron took a step forward, shoving Caleb back a few paces. Suddenly, another boy with short, wavy brown hair, green eyes, and a defined jawline appeared between Chase and Aaron, holding his hands up.

"Sorry, but you _were_ being kind of bitchy," he said turning toward Kira. Looking up into Reid's face, she saw tell-tale fire race across his eyes irises and gave him a warning look.

"Reid..." But it was done. A second later, Aaron's friend doubled over and a stream of vomit poured from his mouth. "Agh!" Reid wrapped his arms around her waist, yanking her out of the stream as the others jumped back to avoid it.

"Alright guys," the DJ called over the speakers. "Joe just called, he said he saw three cop cars headed this way on Oakdale road!" Chaos broke out as everyone fled the scene, wanting to get away before the cops showed up.

"Let's go, boys," called Reid, taking Buffy by the hand and pulling her away from the crowd. A few minutes later, Buffy found herself walking through a forest along with the rest of the party.

"Hey, nice going back there," said Caleb, shaking the unknown boy's hand. "Caleb."

"Chase." He gestured in the direction of the party. "Thought that that guy and I were going to go at it. That guy's puking really came at an opportune moment."

"Didn't it, though?" Reid gloated, giving Caleb a smirk, before sending Buffy a wink and letting her hand go, walking away.

"Chase," Chase introduced himself, giving her a charming smile. "I don't believe we've met."

"Buffy." He took her hand in his and kissed it, making Buffy smile an blush slightly at the attention. Giving him a wave, she looked back to see Tyler standing behind her, and he took her hand, leading her to his SUV. Buffy blinked, not understanding how his car ended up here after he had parked it on top of the cliff.

"What? How-..." She glanced over at Tyler, and he gave her a wink before opening the door for her. Sliding across the black leather seat and chalking the appearance of Tyler's car up to magic, she scooted to the middle as Caleb got in on her left and Pogue got in on her right.

"Bye," she heard Sarah call through Caleb's open door, and he gave her a wave. Buffy reached over and grabbed her seatbelt, securing it with a small _click_ and leaned back, resting her head on Caleb's shoulder. He smiled down at her and dropped a small kiss on the top of her head, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Sarah wants you, man," she heard Pogue tell Caleb, practically hearing the smirk in his voice. Buffy closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, the jet lag finally catching up with her.

"That's bullshit!" Buffy opened her eyes to see Reid looking over the back of his seat, giving Pogue a glare. Buffy rolled her eyes, knowing that the two boys were going to fight tooth and nail to get Sarah into their beds.

"No now," Pogue scolded. "Don't be jealous, Reid."

"You alright?" asked Caleb, seeing Buffy's loss of energy. She nodded, snuggling closer, smiling as he tightened his grip around her shoulders.

"Mmmm... just tired."

"My car won't start!" Buffy looked out the window, seeing that Sarah had opened her door and was yelling over at them.

"Hop in with us!" Tyler suggested, but she shook her head, looking back at Kate before responding.

"I can't just leave it here!"

"I can fix it for you," Reid called back, but Caleb gave him a look.

"Reid, don't." Caleb lunched forward, causing Buffy to jolt up, trying to grab Reid before he got out of the car. However, Reid moved out of reach and gave him a smirk before opening the door.

"It's not over yet, boys." he jumped out of the car, walking around it and over to Sarah's car, lifting and propping open the hood. He looked over at Tyler's car and showing the flash of fire in his eyes before turning back to the car and staring at the engine, quickly closing the hood when he was done. "Try it again," he yelled at Sarah and the engine roared to life, eliciting screams of gratitude from the two girls. Hearing the loud screeching of a police siren, Reid gave Sarah one last smirk before bolting toward the SUV, opening the driver's side door and nudging Tyler to the side. "Gotta bolt, move over."

"It's my car!" Tyler protested, not wanting anyone else to drive his new car.

"Move over, baby boy! Now!" Pogue yelled from the back seat, and Reid continued to shove him until he was sitting in the passenger's seat. As the police car drew closer, Reid looked back and shot them a grin, before letting out a whoop and slamming his foot down on the gas, sending them shooting through the woods. Buffy let out a loud scream as he took a sharp turn, narrowly missing crashing into a tree, but relaxed as the boys around her started to laugh and shout excitedly. Seeing the police car gaining on them, Caleb looked behind them, letting out a sigh.

"Ugh, you gotta pull over."

"Oh, you wanna stop?" called Reid over his shoulder, not lightening the pressure of his foot on the gas. "That'll impress Harvard." Caleb was silent for a second, debating whether or not he was going to go along with this.

"Guys... don't..." Buffy warned, looking from Pogue to Caleb. However, it was no use. They had already made up their minds. "Guys, no!"

"Alright, what the hell," decided Caleb, shrugging and effectively ignoring Buffy's protests. "Loose 'em. Cut across Marblehead. Let's have some fun while we're at it."

"Alright, boys, let's party." Reid pressed his foot further down on the pedal and the car sped up, and Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head, slightly frustrated, yet somewhat amused, at their recklessness. Pogue placed a hand on her knee and squeezed it reassuringly before joining in on his friend's yells and whoops.

"Step on it, Reid, let's go!" Tyler, Pogue, and Caleb turned around to watch as they sped away from the cop car, but Buffy continued to look forward, wondering what they were up to. Suddenly, Reid drove the SUV over a jump, and the car flew into the air and slammed into the ground a few seconds later, causing the boys to call out excitedly and Buffy to grab both Caleb and Pogue's knees for support. However, after that, Buffy let herself relax, knowing that she could trust these boys with her life, simply happy that she was in the position to enjoy things like this with them. She was the Slayer after all. She had participated in much more dangerous things than a car chase with four magically-inclined teenagers. Letting an amused laugh tumble from her lips, she looked out the window, noticing that the previous scenery of dense trees had given way to a large, open space. Hearing a loud horn sound, which Buffy took as the cop's way of saying 'Stop! There's a cliff in front of you!' she smiled and shook her head, having guessed what they were up to.

"Alright, guys," said Reid, looking over his shoulder at Caleb and Pogue and giving Buffy a quick wink before turning back toward the front of the car. "You ready?" Caleb seemed to hesitate, but Pogue turned toward him, giving him a look.

"Come on, Caleb. It's going to take all of us." Nodding, he took Buffy's hand in his before looking forward, his eyes turning completely black. Looking to her right, she saw that Pogue's eyes were black as well, and instinctively closed her eyes, knowing what was coming.

"Harry potter can kiss my ass!" Reid yelled as he slammed his foot on the gas, sending them flying over the edge. Buffy continued to squeeze her eyes shut, feeling her Slayer senses go haywire at the collective use of magic. They continued to fly though the air for a second before stopping. Buffy cracked one eye open and looked out the window, seeing only blackness, before the car plummeted back to the ground, landing behind the police car and almost causing her to fall into Pogue's lap. Rolling her eyes amusedly as they screamed and yelled, clearly mocking the policemen who had gotten out of their car and were looking at them in shock. Laughing as Reid backed up the car and swung it around, Buffy leaned her head against Caleb's shoulder once again and shut her eyes, completely content that she was one again with her best friends. A short while later, the SUV pulled to a stop and Caleb nudged her, causing her to look out the window and see Pogue's bright yellow bike. "Buffy, you got a place to crash? Cause if you don't I'll gladly offer you my bed." Buffy laughed as Reid shot her a suggestive smirk.

"Nah, I'm staying with Caleb. But thanks for the offer, I'm sure it came right from the goodness of your heart."

"You know it, babe." She leaned into the front seat to give both Tyler and Reid a quick peck on the lips before sliding out of the car and walking over to the motorcycle. Climbing on behind Pogue, she wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling Caleb assume his previous position behind her. Sighing happily as he placed his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, Buffy closed her eyes, leaning against the soft leather of Pogue's jacket. Opening her eyes once they reached Caleb's front gate, she felt the weight pressing into her back lift as Caleb dismounted the bike before helping her off.

"Thanks for the ride," he said to Pogue, doing that special handshake thing where they simulate an explosion with their fingers.

"Alright, take it easy," Pogue responded, pulling Buffy into a tight hug. "Bye, Buffy." She gave him a wave, taking a step backward toward Caleb.

"I'll see you later, man." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving Pogue one last wave before leading her to the front door. Extracting his key, he unlocked the door, nudging her inside before shutting it behind him and taking off his jacket, leading her toward the stares. They were almost half way up the first flight before a soft voice called out from the sitting room. Looking back, Caleb gave her a small smile and enveloped her in a hug. "Hey, go on upstairs, alright? I'll see you in the morning. Get some sleep."

"Okay," Buffy answered, giving him a smile before making her way up the stairs and down the corridor to her room. Opening the door, she peeled off her jacket, boots, and jeans, dropping them onto a chair by the bed, and walked into the bathroom where she quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face. Reentering the bedroom, she pulled her tank top over her head and undid her bra, walking over to the closet and pulling out a black t-shirt. Pulling it over her head, she turned off the light and climbed into bed, letting herself sink into the mattress, closing her eyes and letting sleep overtake her.

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Buffy's eyes snapped open, and she and she bolted upright, gasping, as she felt a pulse of energy flow through her body. It was the kind of feeling she got when one of the boys used his magic, but this was different... stronger. Usually she only felt a small twinge, but this one was big enough to shock her out of a deep sleep. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed and wincing slightly as her feet made contact with the cool wooden floor, she walked over to the door, opening it and tiptoeing across the hall to Caleb's room. Quietly opening his door, she stepped in, closing it behind her.

"Caleb?" He sat up, and even in the darkness, Buffy could see that he was shaken up about something.

"Hey, c'mere." He gestured toward the bed, and Buffy walked over, feeling his eyes sweep over her, taking in her tight, black t-shirt and boy-cut blue panties, and jumped up and sitting cross-legged on the end of his bed. "Did you feel it?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "What was that? I mean, I usually feel it a bit when you guys use, but this was... different." He nodded, gesturing for her to come closer, and she obliged, sliding in beneath the sheets and leaning back against the headboard.

"I know. I've never felt it before. It must have been something big." He reached up and dragged her further down the bed, wrapping his arms around her and holding her body close to his. They had often shared a bed growing up, but this time it was different. Both of them knew it, but both of them tried their best to ignore it. Buffy closed her eyes, quickly pushing all x-rated thoughts away and cuddling closer to him.

"It had to have been Reid," he stated, his warm breath tickling Buffy's ear.

"How do you know?" He shrugged, and settled his face into the back of Buffy's neck, his nose grazing the sensitive skin located there.

"Just have a feeling." He made no move to kick her out of her bed, so she made herself comfortable, quickly falling asleep wrapped in his comforting embrace.

-----------------------------------

Well, that's chapter one! For some reason, this Buffy seems to be a bit out of character, but I hope you guys like it anyways! Even if you don't, I want to finish the story anyways, so you might be stuck with it! ) Drop me a review and let me know what you think!


	2. Movies and Bar Fights

Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Covenant. Each belongs to its respective genius, Joss Whedon and Renny Harlin. Too bad, I would have a lot of fun with those four incredibly gorgeous boys if they belonged to me... ;) They didn't have a script online for it, so all the lines, though copied from the movie, came from me watching and rewatching parts of the movie until I got them right! This idea came from watching The Covenant the other day as well as from amusewithaview's challenge at tthfanfic, "Matching the Covenant." I completely agree with him/her that these boys are so gorgeous that it's quite sad that there aren't many Buffy/Covenant fics out there!

Holy crap! When I woke up this morning I had THIRTY THREE emails only having to do with this story. Reviews, story alerts, and favorite story notifications. By the end of the day, I had gotten FIFTY THREE emails about it. That has never happened to me. EVER! For any of my fics! Thanks so much you guys!

The votes are in: 9 votes for Buffy/Caleb, and two for no Buffy/Caleb. I'm probably going to go with this pairing, but for you that don't particularly enjoy it, not to worry! My new found obsession with this movie (which I don't really understand because it was sort of awful... wait no... I do understand why I like it... coughCalebPogueReidandTylercough), I'll probably be writing enough crossover fics to pair her with all of them!

Thanks SO FREAKING MUCH to Iceflame55, Angelus242, Reese, cRiMsOnGoDdEsS01, Claddagh, Alianna15, the voice of, Miki-Snow Godess-Me, Panther73110, Krycek's Immortal Slayer, untouchable1400, and John cena punk princess for you AWESOME reviews and suggestions! I really appreciate them and take them all to heart, and I'm so glad that you're all loving this little story so much!

Last thing, I know that Buffy's a bit OOC, but I wrote her like that, believing that this is how she would act around people she's known for her entire life and is completely comfortable with. However, that might be wishful thinking because this is how I would WANT to act around the boys! Sorry if it's a tad annoying!

Anyways, enough with the jabbering, on with the story!

--

Buffy woke up the next morning only to be blinded by the sunlight that was streaming in through the open curtains. Shifting away from the light, she found herself immobile and looked down to see that there was a strong pair of arms wrapped around her. Craning her neck to glance over her shoulder, she smiled when she saw Caleb curled up behind her, fast asleep and snoring slightly. Looking at the clock on the nightstand in front of her and seeing that the bright neon blue numbers read 10:30, she gently slipped out of Caleb's embrace and exited his room, padding across the hall to hers. Entering her room and walking into the bathroom, she shed her clothes, dropping them onto the floor on the way to the bathroom, and turned the water on in the tub, pouring in some peach-scented bubble bath when it was full. She a hair tie from the shelf above the sink and tied her long blond locks into a messy bun before stepping into the tub. Leaning her head back against the edge of the tub, she closed her eyes as the warm water soothed her muscles. About fifteen minutes later, she heard a knock at the door, making sure that she was covered by the bubbles before answering.

"Come in." Caleb peeked his head around the door, giving her a soft smile when he saw that she was in the tub.

"Hey. I'm going to make some breakfast. Want any?" Buffy nodded, realizing how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since she got on the plane the previous night.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks!"

"No problem." He gave her a smile before disappearing around the door, but a second later, he poked his head back into the bathroom. "Oh! I'm going to go run some errands after. Want to come?"

"Yeah, sure. Could be fun." He nodded and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. Giving a contented sigh, Buffy quickly washed her body and hair before getting out and draining the tub, wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel. Wandering back into her room, she put on a flowing black skirt and short white tank top, letting the skirt ride low on her hips so that an inch or so of flat, tanned skin showed between the tank top and skirt. Walking back into the bathroom and quickly drying her hair with a hairdryer she found in the cabinet under the sink, she gathered up her wallet, phone, and a stake, dumping them in a small purse before putting on a pair of white flip flops and heading down to the kitchen. Walking into the elegantly decorated room, she smiled as she saw Caleb with his back to her, cooking something on the stove. "Hey."

"Oh, hey. Good bath?" Buffy smiled, dropping her purse onto the counter before walking over to him, wondering what he was making.

"Yep. Very relaxing." He was making pancakes, and Buffy let out a small laugh. "I don't remember you being such a good cook! Pancakes, eggs, bacon. Geez, kid, you've been watching too much Food Network!" He gave her a laugh, Buffy letting out a grin at the way his eyes lit up, and he grabbed two plates, loading them up with food. Gesturing in the direction of the ornately carved table in the middle of the room, he picked up the two plates, following Buffy over to the table. "Mmmm... yum," Buffy moaned, closing her eyes as she popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. It only took her a few minutes to devour the entire plate, Caleb laughing at and making fun of her the entire time. "Oh hush you! You should take it as a compliment!" She balled up her napkin and tossed it at him, laughing at his scandalized look.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that!" He growled playfully and lunged at her, tackling her off of her chair and onto the smooth, tiled floor. Buffy let out a squeal as he pinned her down and started tickling her but didn't throw him off. Even though both knew that she could have him pinned to the ground on his back in half a second, neither wanted her to. However, a few seconds later, the Slayer in her overpowered the girl, and she kicked him off of her, sending him skidding across the tile. Scrambling to her feet and making a run for it, laughing all the while, she smacked straight into an invisible barrier and bounced back, right into Caleb's arms. Her momentum sent them both crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs, laughing and panting from the exertion.

"Hey! No fair!" Buffy managed through giggles, and took the hand up he was offering her. "I can't just think stuff and make it happen!" He pulled her to her feet, and Buffy wandered around the room, trying to find her lost flip flop. Finally finding it on the other side of the room, she slipped it on, looking at the clock on the oven and seeing that it was already noon. "We should get going, it's getting kinda late."

"Yeah, alright." Buffy grabbed her purse and followed Caleb outside, grabbing the morning paper off the front step and getting into his silver Mustang convertible after he held the door open for her. Buffy leaned her head back against the headrest as he got into the drivers seat and started the car, backing out of the long gravel driveway and onto the road leading away from the mansion.

"Oh shit," Buffy muttered as she opened the newspaper, taking in the headline.

"What?" Caleb asked, turning away from the road and toward Buffy, wondering what was wrong.

"This kid," she pointed to the picture, "ODd at the party at the Dells last night."

"He what? How-..." He was cut off as his phone rang, and watching as he took it out and opened it, Buffy saw that it was Pogue. "Hey man, something's happened." Buffy stared out the window, not really paying attention to their conversation. "Someone used last night. It was something big. It had to have been Reid." There was a pause while, Buffy assumed, Pogue asked how he knew it was Reid. "It's always him. I've never felt it when one of us has used the power before. Have you?"Another pause. "Even Buffy felt it." He looked over at her, giving her a small smile which she easily returned. "Yeah it must be her Slayer thing." Buffy once again looked out the window, watching as the trees on the side of the road streaked past her window. "I don't know, maybe. I'm telling you, it was strong enough to wake me out of a dead sleep." She leaned her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes. "I'm telling you, just – JEEZ!" Buffy turned toward him in alarm as the car swerved, gasping when she saw the dead kid they had just been talking about in the back seat with his head leaned forward into the front seat so that he was eye-level with her. It continued to stare at Caleb for another few seconds before disappearing. But they weren't out of the woods yet. Catching her breath and glancing back at the road, her eyes widened in shock and terror: Caleb had driven into the opposite lane and was headed straight for a huge log-carrying truck.

"Caleb!" He slammed his foot down on the break, flinging his cell phone toward her in the process, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white. Buffy quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and launched herself into Caleb's lap, holding his head to her chest and tucking her chin, wanting to protect him as much as she could, even though she knew that there wasn't much she could do for him if they were hit by a semi. Closing her eyes and bracing herself for an impact that never came, she opened her eyes and watched in awe as the car broke apart as it was about to slam into the truck and reassembled itself once it cleared, skidding to a stop on the side of the road. Letting out the breath she had been holding and thanking the Powers that Be for Caleb's power, she looked through the rear window, watching as the semi continued down the road, a few of the logs on the back tumbling off of the bed and onto the road.

"Caleb?" Buffy heard Pogue screaming through the phone, and she took a second to recover before bending down and finding it under the seat. "Come on Caleb, pick up! Pick up the phone man! Caleb, what's going on?" Sitting back up, she glanced toward Caleb, who was clearly shaken up by what had just happened. He had his head flung back against the headrest and was taking deep breaths, periodically glancing to the side at the place the spirit thing had appeared.

"Pogue?" she answered. "Something happened."

"What happened?" She could hear the worry in his voice. "Are you alright? I heard a crash. What-...?

"We're fine," Buffy interrupted gently, cutting him off before he could get himself all worked up. "This thing..."

"Darkling. It was a dar-..." Caleb called, having somewhat recovered, but before he could continue, Buffy held the phone up to his ear. "...-kling... oh, thanks." His voice returned to its normal volume, but she could still hear the shock behind it. "We just saw a darkling. It was in the form of that dead kid they found at the Dells." There was a pause as Pogue said something, and Buffy made to get off of Caleb's lap, but he tightened his grip around her waist with his free hand, holding her in place. "I have no idea. something is wrong. I can feel it." Another short pause and then, "definitely." He closed the phone and dropped it into the space by the stick shift before turning his attention to Buffy. "Hey are you alright?" Buffy nodded, bringing a hand to her head to tuck a strand of long blond hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She let out a shaky laugh as he dropped a chaste kiss to her forehead and let her go, allowing her to crawl back over to the passenger side seat. "But one thing's for sure. That kid definitely didn't OD." He gave her a wary smile, looking his eyes up and down her body to make sure that she was alright before putting the car in gear and stepping on the gas, sending it speeding back down the road. A while later, Caleb steered the convertible though a small water-side town, parking it in front of a small drugstore. Getting out of the car after grabbing her purse, Buffy followed Caleb into the drugstore, the bell above the door dingling when they entered. As Caleb headed over to the counter to pick up some pills, Buffy stayed by the front of the store, gazing out the window and smiling at the familiar scenery. She was shaken out of her thoughts as her phone rang, and she dug around inside her purse for a few moments before pulling it out and seeing that it was Reid.

"Hey, babe," she could practically hear him smirking through the phone.

"Hey, you," she answered, rolling her eyes in amusement. "What's the what?"

"Well, today's the last day of freedom, so I wanted to see if you wanted to chill for a while." 'Oh, right,' Buffy thought, 'it's their last day of summer.' Buffy gave a little grin, glad that she didn't have to go back to school for a while.

"Yeah, sure, I'm out running errands with Caleb right now but..." She looked over her shoulder to see Caleb, Kate, Sarah, and Chase chatting in the center of one of the isles. "Hold on, lemme go see what's up."

"I gotta run some errands for my mother."

"I've already seen it." She dropped her arm to the side and walked over to the group, giving them a smile as she reached Caleb's side.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Oh hey, Buffy!" greeted Kate, giving her a bright smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Just tagged along with Caleb," Buffy answered, glancing over at Caleb, who seemed to be slightly preoccupied by the smiling blond in front of him. "What about you?"

"We're" ‒ she gestured from Chase to herself ‒ "going to catch the new Brad Pitt flick. Want to come along?" Buffy shook her head but smiled to show her that she appreciated the offer.

"Nah, Reid just called. Since you all seem to be pairing off, I'm just going to go hang out with him for a while." She looked over to Caleb, who looked like he was greatly enjoying the girl's shameless flirting. "If that's alright with you."

"Oh, of course," he said, snapping his gaze to her and giving her a small smile. "You got a ride or do you want me to drop you off?"

"Nah, I'm good," Buffy said, giving him a small smile and shaking her head. "No problem. I'll catch you later." Buffy turned around and made to leave, but the next thing she knew, Caleb had spun her around and and placed his hand on her waist, dropping quick kiss to her lips, much to her amusement and the annoyance of Sarah. It was like he was marking his territory.

"Nicky's tonight?" he asked, not releasing her waist.

"You know it." Caleb gave her a smile before letting her go and taking a step back toward Sarah. "See you guys," Buffy said, giving the four a mock-salute before walking out of the small drugstore and sitting down on a bench outside. "Hey, so you get that?"

"Every word, darling," she heard Reid say and she bid him goodbye before hanging up the phone and getting up, wandering around the town until she spotted an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. Quickly ordering an ice cream cone, she exited the shore and wandered over to a small park, dropping down to the grass and laying on her back, looking up at the cloudless blue sky and licking at her ice cream. Quickly devouring her snack, Buffy closed her eyes, feeling the sun warm her skin, enjoying the fact that for the first time in a long time, she was Buffy Summers, eighteen year old girl instead of Buffy Summers, Slayer. A few minutes later, a horn sounded, and she opened her eyes to see Reid in the driver's seat of Tyler's new SUV, giving her a smirk. "Hey, baby. How much?" He raised his eyebrow suggestively, and she laughed, jumping off the grass and getting into the front seat.

"Oh, shut up," she rolled her eyes and burst out laughing at his scandalized look. "So, where are we going?"

"Just thought we'd watch a movie." He put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb, driving in the direction of his dorm. "Nice and intimate."

"Unless Tyler's there, of course," Buffy said with a laugh, looking out the window, the water reminding her of Sunnydale.

"Of course," he repeated, with a smile, poking her in the ribs and causing her to jump and smack her forehead against the window.

"Ow," she whined, giving her a pout and full-out puppy dog eyes. She smiled happily when he rolled his eyes in mock-annoyance and leaned over to kiss her forehead. The two continued to make small talk and joke around with each other until Reid pulled into the Spencer Academy parking lot and pulled into a space, putting the car in park and killing the engine. Grabbing her purse and getting out of the car, Buffy followed Reid through the parking lot and to the front door of the dorms, laughing lightly as he opened the door for her and sunk down into an exaggerated bow.

"After you, m'lady." He gestured for her to go ahead of him, and she complied, waiting for him to enter and lead her to his room. After climbing a few staircases and walking down a few halls, Reid stopped in front of a door and pulled out a set of keys, sliding one into the keyhole and opening the door. He nudged Buffy inside, and she gave Tyler, who was sitting on his bed idly flipping through a magazine, a bright smile.

"Hey, baby boy!" she greeted, jumping onto his bed and giving him a peck on the cheek. "What's going on?" Tyler tossed his magazine onto his desk and scooted over, making room for both Buffy and Reid, as his bed had the best view of the T.V.

"Hey!"

She kicked off her flip flops and tossed them and her purse onto the floor before scooching up to the head of the bed and cuddling into him, letting out a contented sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. Reid popped a movie into the DVD player before walking over to a set of drawers, taking out a package of popcorn.

"Popcorn?" he asked, waving it in Buffy and Tyler's direction, and at their nod, fire engulfed his irises for a moment, resulting in a completely popped bag of popcorn. Shooting Buffy a smirk at the roll of her eyes, he hopped onto the bed next to her, handing her the bag after he had taken handful of popcorn. She took it gratefully and grabbed a handful, stuffing it in her mouth before passing it onto Tyler. "So what-..."

"Shush!" Tyler shushed him, and Reid gave him a glare, Buffy laughing at their antics and resting her head back against Reid's shoulder as "_The Italian Job_" flashed across the screen. The three continued to watch the movie in silence, shifting their positions so that Reid was laying on his side with his head propped up by his arm, Tyler leaning back against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him, and Buffy lying on her stomach with her head toward the T.V. and her feet up in the air.

"That was good," Buffy said as soon as the credits started rolling, craning her neck so that she could flash her best friends a bright smile.

"Yeah, it was," Reid answered, playfully poking Buffy in the side before getting off the bed and walking over to his closet. Buffy looked out the window, frowning slightly as she noticed that it was already dark outside.

"Dark already?" Buffy asked, turning back to Tyler who had also gotten up off of the bed and had walked over to his desk, checking something on his computer. "Damn, time sure flies and all that jazz."

"Want to head over to Nicky's?" Reid asked, pulling his black t-shirt over his head and changing into a white one, smirking as Buffy's eyes were drawn to his well-muscled chest. He pulled a green sweater over his head and pulled on a black beanie and fingerless gloves, and Buffy turned her head to the other side to see that Tyler had pulled on a green sweatshirt and jacket. 'What was with these boys and green,' she thought to herself.

"I'm down," said Tyler, shrugging nonchalantly, and Buffy nodded, agreeing.

"Sure, but I gotta go change into something hot and sexy first." Buffy got up off the bed and slipped on her shoes.

"You're sexy in whatever you wear," Buffy turned, slightly surprised to to hear something like that coming out of Tyler's mouth. He had always been the quiet, reserved one. Apparently after all these years of living with Reid, he had picked up some of his personality.

"Thanks," she said, offering him a brilliant smile and accepting the sweatshirt that Reid had draped over her shoulders. Following them out of their room and down to Tyler's SUV, Buffy slipped into the front passenger seat after Reid's persistent insistence that she take shotgun. Before buckling in, he reached into the front seat and cranked up the volume on the stereo as soon as Tyler turned on the car, causing loud rock music to circulate through the car. About ten minutes later, the large black SUV pulled to a stop in front of Caleb's house and Buffy shrugged off Reid's sweatshirt and jumped out, telling the boys that she'd be out in a few minutes before jogging up to the front door, digging the spare key out of the planter box next to the front door and letting herself in. Peeking her head into the front room, Buffy didn't see any sign of Caleb's mom, so she quickly made her way up the stairs and down the hallway to her room.

Closing the door behind her, she grabbed the hem of her white tank top and pulled it over her head, discarding both it and her bra and walking into the closet, kicking off her shoes and skirt grabbing a halter top and her her favorite leather pants. Pulling on the leather pants and and her most comfortable pair of boots, she entered the bathroom, applying a bit of dark eyeliner, mascara, and a shiny gloss, before backing up and looking at herself in the mirror. The blood red halter top had almost no back, only a few ties holding it to her body, and a plunging neckline, showing her cleavage, and the black leather pants were almost skin tight, showing off her slim, toned legs. She had to admit, she looked hot. Emptying her purse and tucking her wallet and cell phone into her into her pockets, she hid a stake in her waistband and another in her boot before grabbing a black leather jacket and putting it on. Making her way down the hall and beautiful staircase, she exited the mansion, dropping the spare key into the planter and burying it.

"Woo, baby, get in!" she heard Reid call, and she gave him a light smack to the head when she got in the car, letting out a laugh at his annoyed glare. Tyler backed out of Caleb's gravel driveway, and Buffy continued to laugh and joke with the two the entire way to Nicky's, periodically turning around to watch Reid rock out to the music in the back seat. Getting out of the car after Reid opened the door for her, she led the way into Nicky's, a local bar and hangout for teenagers and young adults, saying goodbye to her two friends when they stepped through the bar. She smiled at the familiar feeling of the place, shaking her hips a bit to the music and grinning as Reid unabashedly stared at her ass.

"I'll catch you guys later." They nodded and headed to the left toward the pool tables, and Buffy veered to the right, knowing that her other friends would most likely be located by the dance floor and foosball tables. "Hey, kids," she greeted when she spotted Caleb, Chase, Kate, and Sarah, taking her jacket off and draping it over her chair, smiling inwardly as Caleb took in her revealing attire. Giving a guy that nudged her rudely an annoyed glare, she dropped down into the chair, squeezing Caleb's knee in greeting.

"Hey, Buffy," Chase and Kate chorused. Sarah gave her a smile, and Caleb gave her a small peck on the cheek.

"Movie good?"

"Oh yeah! It was awesome!" answered Kate, a bright smile lighting up her face. Looking behind Buffy, she gave another smile as she spotted Pogue. "Oh hey, baby! You missed a great movie."

"Yeah, I had to get my bike fixed." He gave her a kiss before letting her go and giving Buffy a smile.

"It's cool, Chase came along and kept me company." She turned away from her boyfriend and gave Chase a look, causing Pogue's eyes to narrow slightly. 'Uh oh,' Buffy thought. 'This could be trouble..."

"I bet he did." Pogue stripped off his leather jacket, revealing his gorgeously muscled arms, and Chase took off his own jacket slightly mockingly. Buffy, Sarah, and Caleb looked between each other, all of them feeling uncomfortable at the large amount of tension. Pogue seemed to notice the attention Kate way paying to Chase, but he recovered quickly. "S'up, man?"

"S'all good." He and Caleb did their signature handshake, and Pogue leaned down close to Kate's ear, draping his jacket over her chair.

"Want something to eat?"

"Yeah I'll just pick at whatever you're having." He gave her a half smile and made his way toward the opposite side of the bar, Buffy getting up and following him. She looped her arm through his, and he gave her a smile, leading her through the crowded bar.

"That girl's an idiot," Buffy whispered in his ear, and he looked down at her, giving her a tired smile. "Any girl would be lucky to have a hottie like you." He let out a soft laugh and hugged her closer to him, stopping once they reached the counter.

"Buffy!" greeted Nicky, the large, bald, bearded owner of the bar. He put down a glass and the rag he was using to clean the glass, walking to the edge of the counter and enveloping her in a hug. "Nice to see you, girl."

"You took, Nicky," she laughed, extracting herself from the hug and taking a step back toward Pogue.

"Can I get a burger, fries and a coke?" asked Pogue once Buffy and Nicky were done with their pleasantries.

"Yeah, sure," Nicky nodded and gave Buffy a wink before disappearing into the kitchen. Spotting Reid and Tyler playing pool, Pogue nudged Buffy and took her hand in his, leading her over to them with a wide smile.

"Well, well, well," mocked Reid when he saw Buffy and Pogue walking over to him.

"How long you guys been here?" He and Reid did that handshake thing, and Reid swung his arm around Pogue's shoulders, clapping him on the back, as he greeted Tyler.

"A bit. Just been playing Aaron and Bordy." Buffy walked around the table, giving a smile as Tyler turned his attention toward her and wrapped an arm loosely around her waist. "And will you look at that?" Reid pulled Pogue closer and tapped a finger against his chest, gesturing toward a scantily clad girl with a very, very short black skirt who was almost completely bent over the bar. Buffy rolled her eyes amusedly as both Pogue and Tyler turned toward the girl, identical looks of lust sliding over both of their faces. "Blue, cotton," Reid announced, pulling a twenty out of his pocket and slapping it down on the table.

"Mmm... pink lace." Tyler kissed his own twenty before slamming it down on the table.

"Boys, that girl hasn't worn panties since she was twelve." He leaned on the table and slapped down his own twenty on top of Tylers, all three boys turning and looking over in Buffy's direction. She let out a short laugh, fixing them with a skeptical look, raised eyebrow and all.

"Oh please. I may be able to kick all of your asses, but if you think I'm going to participate in your stupid little game, you're all dumber than I thought." Turning their attention back to the girl, Reid placed his shoulder on Pogue's hunched back before his his eyes flashed fire and a gust of wind blew the girl's skirt, revealing that she wasn't wearing anything under it. All three boys groaned, Pogue in admiration and Reid and Tyler in annoyance, closing their eyes at the image that had been conjured for them.

"You're all disgusting!" Buffy laughed at her friends' immaturity, and walked away, ordering a Coke from Nicky and taking it from him before heading back to the others. Stopping by the foosball table where Caleb, who had stripped off his jacket and now stood clad in a pair of jeans and tight white wifebeater, and Chase were playing a game. Letting Caleb take a sip of her drink, which ended up to be about half, she walked over and sat down next to Sarah.

"Hey, girls." The two girls smiled brightly at her in response, Kate's eyes flickering over to Chase, and it was all Buffy could do to not smack the girl in the face for even thinking about cheating on Pogue. However, she pushed back the urge and forced a laugh at something Sarah said.

"Okay, what just happened?" Kate asked and Buffy followed her gaze to see Caleb and Pogue playing a game and Chase watching.

"What?" asked Kate, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well, we were sitting here together having fun, and now we're watching them have fun." Sarah shot an annoyed look at the boys, and Buffy laughed, knowing that her boys were extremely easily distracted.

"That's what girls do. You know boys and their toys." Kate shrugged and gave Sarah an indifferent look, but Sarah was not to be discouraged.

"Nuh uh. Gimme a quarter."

What? Why?" Kate looked at her roommate's outstretched hand like she was crazy.

"C'mon gimme a quarter," she pleaded, practically shoving her hand in her friend's face. Buffy smiled, knowing what she was up to. "I'll show you what girls do."

"Fine." Kate fished around in her purse for a second before dropping shiny quarter into Sarah's hand. Closing her hand, Sarah laughed before grabbing Buffy's hand and dragging her to the dance floor. Buffy easily followed her, figuring she might have a little fun even though some part of her hated the girl for flirting with her Caleb.

"Come on!" Pulling Buffy over to the juke box, she punched in G4, raising her arms above her head and giving an excited scream as the sounds of "I Love Rock and Roll" flooded the small bar. Flashing Buffy a smile, Sarah gestured for her to follow her and led her to back to the boys, grabbing Caleb's arm and pulling her toward him.

"Hi," she said, leading him to the dance floor and leaving Pogue and Buffy staring after her. Pogue must have caught Buffy's annoyed look because he suddenly appeared behind her, his warm breath tickling her ear and causing her to smile as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Come on, babe, let's make them both jealous." Without another word, he placed a hand to her bare lower back and pushed her forward onto the now crowded dance floor. Placing his hands on her waist, he pulled her flush against him, grinding his hips against hers and causing her to let out a carefree laugh as he brought a hand up to tangle in her blond locks. Sparing a glance at Caleb and Sarah, she saw that he was watching her over Sarah's shoulder, and she gave a wide smile, throwing her head back and reveling in the feelings being back here were evoking. This was what she wanted when she had hopped on the plane to Massachusetts, leaving her family and new friends behind. This is what she had been missing for the last two years. Dancing close to Pogue, she felt the completeness that they gave her as she looked up into his smiling face. However, her mood was wrecked as she heard the breaking of a glass, she and turned toward the pool tables to see Reid shoving Aaron away from him.

"Uh oh, trouble." Buffy broke away from Pogue and without looking back to see if he was following her, she pushed her way through the crowded bar and out the back door. It seemed to be two against two: Reid and Tyler against Aaron and the kid who had projectile vomited all over the beach the previous night.

"Well, we ain't paying you shit, so if you don't like it, you can-..."

"Hey! What's going on here?" Buffy stormed over to them, placing herself in between Reid and Aaron, the two who looked like they were about to throw punches at any second.

"None of your damn business!" Aaron spat, pointing a finger at her. She raised an eyebrow at his rudeness, but settled on the fact that this kid hated her friends so much that he would attack anyone close to them.

"Don't you EVER talk to her like that," Reid snarled and made to tackle Aaron, but Buffy stopped him, grabbing his arm before he could make contact.

"What's the problem!" Buffy turned around at the sound of Caleb's voice. He and Pogue had exited the bar and were walking over to the group, Caleb walking right into the confrontation while Pogue joined Tyler on the sidelines.

"They bet me I couldn't make a combo shot," Reid said lazily before giving Aaron a cocky smirk, "and I did."

"Why don't we just forget about it okay?" Buffy smiled despite the circumstances. Caleb. Always the peace keeper.

"Hey!" They all turned around to see Nicky in the doorway with a bat in his hand. She had to admit, even though she always got the softer side of his personality, Nicky could be seriously terrifying when he wanted to be. "Take it somewhere else ladies." They all continued to look at each other, not moving, and he gave them a look. "Now."

"Whatever you say, Nicky." Aaron gave Buffy one last once over, giving her a suggestive look and making her scrunch up her nose in disgust, before leading his friend back into the bar, purposely knocking into Caleb on the way. Buffy followed them with their eyes, and Nicky gave her a small smile, something that didn't quite work with the baseball bat he was clutching in his hand, before slamming the door.

"What were you thinking?" asked Caleb, turning his attention back toward Reid. He had that mom voice: disappointed, not angry.

"I was just playing them," Reid said, shrugging nonchalantly, bringing his arms down to hook his thumbs in his belt loops.

"Yeah, c'mon, Caleb. They were suckers for it," Tyler said, trying to calm them both down, but Pogue pulled him back, shaking his head, warning him not to get into the middle of it. Reid gave Caleb a smirk before sidestepping Buffy and walking up to him, seriously invading his personal space, so that he could whisper something in his year.

"Why don't you quit being such a pussy?" He moved to walk around him, but Caleb grabbed his shoulder, holding him in place.

"I'm not finished with you yet." Reid brought his hand up and broke Caleb's grip on his shoulder, holding onto his wrist and glaring.

"Guys! Stop it!" Buffy demanded, coming up behind Reid and placing a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off, and continued to grip Caleb's wrist, his eyes going black.

"Reid. Stop," He gasped and closed his eyes, whatever Reid was doing to him was clearly painful. Finally, he had enough and his lips curled up in a snarl as his eyes went black. Shoving Reid away from him, he sent a shield-like bolt of energy at the blond, sending him crashing into a pile of kegs and then into the wall behind him. "What will it take for you to get it?" Caleb took a few purposeful steps toward him, and he continued to gesture wildly, watching as Reid lay panting against the wall. "It's addictive, you moron! You've seen what it can do if you abuse it? You want that? That's your business." He pointed emphatically at the blond who was struggling to his feet. Buffy watched hesitantly, ready to jump in if it got any worse. "But if you use in the open like you did tonight, you risk exposing us all. And that I wont let happen." Finally getting to his feet, Reid raised his arms low to his sides, using his power to levitate a fallen keg about a foot off the ground. "My power's greater than yours," Caleb stated, already knowing what Reid was going to do.

"Not until you ascend," Reid argued.

Alright," said Caleb, bending his arms at the elbows and swinging his hands toward his head in a 'bring it on' gesture. "Go for it tough guy." Reid drew back a hand and threw the keg at Caleb, but before he could use his power to stop it, Buffy jumped in between them, effortlessly snatching it out of the air and tossing it to the side.

"Enough!" she yelled, glaring at Reid. "Stop it!" However, Caleb used a small bolt of energy to shove her out of the way and she slammed backward into Pogue's chest as he caught her and set her back on her feet. Ignoring her, Caleb sent another shield-like bolt of energy toward Reid, sending him flying backwards, crashing into a huge stack of bottles and into the fence behind them. Caleb took a few steps toward the blond, but Pogue ran forward, grabbing the collar of his jacket, holding him back.

"Stop it, this is crazy!" Simultaneously, Tyler ran to Reid's side, helping him up, and Buffy walked over to Caleb, shoving him so that he stumbled back a few feet angry because one, he had used on her, and two, because he was fighting his best friend.

"It's for his own good. Keep using like you did tonight, like you did last night. When you ascend, you'll be as good as dead!" Buffy grabbed his arm and pushed backwards, his rage taking both Buffy and Pogue to hold him back.

"So I fixed her car, big deal," Reid said as he struggled out of the rubble, one arm around Tyler's shoulder and the other braced against the wall for support.

"Don't play me, Reid!" Caleb yelled. "I'm talking later and you know it!"

"The hell you do," Reid yelled back, making to lunge at Caleb, but Tyler placed a hand on his friend's chest to keep him in place.

"That's enough!" Buffy yelled and all four heads turned toward her. She didn't get mad very often, but having been on the wrong side of her anger before, they knew not to mess with her when she was pissed. Her eyes flashed as she looked between Reid and Caleb, furious that they were turning against each other when what they should be doing was pulling closer together. Their Ascension was a difficult time and each needed all the support he could get. "I mean _seriously_! What the hell are you doing? I know _you_" ‒ she gestured toward Caleb ‒ "want to protect him, and _you_" ‒ she waved a hand in Reid's direction "want to prove your power, but come on! All you guys have is each other. You can't do this alone. None of you." There was a moment of silence as Buffy turned her gaze from Caleb to Reid and back, before Reid stepped forward, giving her an apologetic look and a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, and she nodded. "And I didn't use later," he directed at Caleb and purposely knocked into him, sending him stumbling to the side, as he walked back into the bar.

"It's not right using on each other, Caleb," reprimanded Tyler, walking closer to Caleb.

"Tell it to Reid," Caleb countered, and Tyler sighed in frustration before giving Buffy a soft smile and disappearing through the open door. "Reid's lying." Caleb brought a hand up and dragged it across his face. "It had to be him."

"How do you know?" asked Pogue, finally looking up from the spot on the floor he had been staring at.

"Cause it wasn't you. And Tyler doesn't have the balls to lie to me." Buffy sighed and shook her head, but before she could say anything, she was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Sarah, shooting Caleb a concerned look.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He turned toward her gave her a smile, and Buffy shot Pogue a look.

"Let's go." She tilted her head in the direction of the bar, giving him an expectant look. He hesitated, looking over at Buffy.

"I can't-..."

"No go." She said, giving him a half smile. She was still pissed at him and needed some time by herself to cool off.

"But-..."

"I'm gonna go take a walk. Clear my head. I'll find my way home." He nodded, remembering that walk was her code word for patrol in the presence of those not supernaturally inclined. Half way in the door, he paused, looking back at her, and she nodded. "No really, go." Giving her one last concerned glance, he disappeared around the corner, and Buffy gave a loud sigh.

"Miss us?" Pogue asked jokingly, throwing an arm around her shoulder and leading her into the bar.

"You have no idea." They grabbed their coats, and after deciding that Kate was to go home with Sarah, the two friends exited the bar, Pogue turning left to where his motorcycle was parked and Buffy choosing to follow the street to the right, searching for the closest cemetery.

--

Well, that's chapter 2! Hope you guys liked it as much as the first one. At first, I wanted to write only one chapter, but clearly that didn't work out as the first one covered the first like ten minutes of the movie, and this one included about twenty minutes. Hopefully they'll only be one more chapter, but you never know! Drop me a review on your way out!


	3. Memories and Motorcycle Accidents

Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Covenant. Each belongs to its respective genius, Joss Whedon and Renny Harlin. Too bad, I would have a lot of fun with those four incredibly gorgeous boys if they belonged to me... ;) They didn't have a script online for it, so all the lines, though copied from the movie, came from me watching and rewatching parts of the movie until I got them right!

Damn! I got FOURTY THREE notification emails for this chapter! Y'all sure know how to make a girl feel loved! Keep it up, it makes me smile whenever I get a new review! )

Okay, I hate to let you all down, but I MIGHT leave this story without a pairing so that I can go off it for my other stories and pair her with all of them... I haven't decided yet, but this is probably what I'm going to do...

Thanks to John cena punk princess, Reese, Angelus 242, the voice of, LoNeR2008, panther7310, Christina, Violyn52709, smurf's biscut, Berry, and vampires.kidnapped. for your wonderful reviews and suggestions! I'm so glad you're liking it so far, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm really enjoying the plethora of reviews! Keem 'em coming.

Anyways, enough with that, here's the next chapter!

--

Buffy woke up the next morning wincing slightly as a result of last night's patrol. After leaving the boys the previous night, she had found a pack of vampires who had taken up residence in a crypt in a nearby cemetery. She had managed to dust all ten of them rather easily due to her adrenaline and aggression from the fight earlier that night, but since she was slightly preoccupied, they had managed to get in a few good hits. Glancing at the clock and seeing that it was a little after noon, she groaned, hating that she slept in so late but knowing that her body had needed the rest since she had gotten in at about five am. She got out of bed, and noticing that a small piece of paper had been slipped under her door, walked over to it and picked it up.

"Buffy,

At school. Was going to say goodbye to you, but I didn't want to wake you up since you probably got in late. I'm sorry about what happened last night. You know that I just wanted to protect him. I'll see you tonight. Call me if you need anything.

Always,

Caleb"

Smiling, she folded up the letter and threw it on her nightstand before stripping off her t-shirt and pajama pants. She walked into the closet and changed into a pair of jogging pants, a tanktop, and tennis shoes, leaving her room and wandering downstairs, emerging onto a covered patio outside a few minutes later. Seeing that it was absolutely pouring, she decided to exercise under the overhang instead of doing it in the garden and getting completely drenched. Tying her hair into a sloppy ponytail, she fell into one of the Tai Chi poses Angel had taught her, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, feeling the tension slip from her body. Keeping her eyes closed and allowing her limbs to move slowly and gracefully, she let all the emotions she had been pushing to the back of her mind since she had left Sunnydale come to the forefront. Slowly letting out a breath through her mouth, she wondered what Angel was doing in Los Angeles.

Even though she had known that the breakup was inevitable, she was not prepared for her heart to be completely broken when he left town. It was part of the reason that she had flown to the East Coast in the first place. However, her visit wasn't at all like she had expected it to be. She had expected to have carefree, innocent fun with her boys to keep her mind off of the breakup, but she had never thought that she'd fall for each and every one of them. Maybe it was because of the fact that she had known them all of her life and was completely comfortable around them, or that she had a deeper connection with all four of them that most other people in her life, or the most obvious reason: that all four of them were drop-dead gorgeous. Either way, she felt extremely guilty about it, almost like she was betraying Angel by finding someone she had an interest in so soon after her breakup with the love of her life.

Finishing up her third set, she glanced at the antique grandfather clock through the window of the library. Frowning slightly, she saw that she had been so wrapped up in her feelings that over an hour had passed without her realizing. Dropping her body to the cool tile covering the floor, she stretched out her muscles, smiling slightly at the fact that her the pain in her previously aching muscles had subsided quite a bit. Pushing herself to her feet, she walked through the house toward the kitchen, her stomach growling and demanding food, and opened the fridge, making herself a sandwich and hopping up onto the stool at the counter to eat her lunch. She was half way through her sandwich when...

"Buffy?" She spun around to see Caleb's mom standing behind her. She had shoulder length wavy brown hair, the pale skin of someone who never went outside into the sun, large circles under her eyes, and she was wearing a long silk dressing gown and matching slippers. She looked older and more haggard than Buffy had remembered.

"Hi, Mrs. Danvers." Buffy give her a small smile and dropped her sandwich onto the counter, slipping off the stool and walking over to the older woman. The second Buffy reached her side, she enveloped the small blond in a hug.

"Evelyn, sweetheart. You should be used to calling me that by now!" She let loose a tinkling laugh, and Buffy had to smile at the excitement that reached her eyes. She doubted that this woman had laughed like that in a long time. "It's been so long. How have you been?"

"I've been pretty good." Evelyn placed her hand on Buffy's back and nudged her out of the kitchen, leading her toward the sitting room a the front of the house.

"Sit." She gestured toward the beautifully decorated couch, and Buffy obliged, watching as she walked over to the drink cart, pouring herself half a glass of amber liquid. "Want a drink, sweetheart?"

"No thanks," Buffy said, smiling sadly at the fact that she was drinking at one thirty in the afternoon. "So, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing alright. Not as young as I used to be, but better than most, I suppose." She let out another soft laugh before draining half of her drink. The two continued to make small talk for about half an hour. That's when the hard hitting questions started flying. "The scar on your neck. How did you get it?" Evelyn knew that Buffy was the Slayer because of Caleb and his big mouth. All of her friends' parents knew. It was the only way they would allow their sons to tell Buffy about their powers. Of course they had told her long before that, but that was another story..

"Angel... but I guess you'd know him as Angelus." Buffy answered, absently bringing a hand to her neck to caress the bite mark located there.

"But I thought he had a soul now?" Apparently she had heard this from Caleb. She had told him everything about her relationship with Angel up until he had come back from hell. She really hadn't discussed that with anyone.

"He does. He... was poisoned. My blood was the only thing that could save him." Evelyn cupped her hand to Buffy's cheek, giving her a sympathetic look. "We never had a future, though. After graduation he left. Said that he wanted me to be with someone who could take me into the light." A single tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, hating the weakness she was showing.

"You loved him." It was a statement, not a question. Buffy nodded, letting out a bitter laugh.

"But that's over and done with now. No use looking back on it now." Evelyn seemed to sense that she didn't want to talk about it any more and quickly changed the subject. "How is Joyce? Does she know about your... abilities?"

"For about a year. She didn't... take it so well." Evelyn gave her a thoughtful look, playing with her empty glass. She hadn't had another drink after the first one, and Buffy smiled inwardly. Apparently her company was enough to keep the woman entertained.

"No, I don't expect that any mother would." She looked down, and Buffy could hear the sorrow in her voice. "No mother wants to hear that her only child could lose his life at an early age." The discussion had turned away from Buffy and toward Caleb. Her brow furrowed with worry and she scooted closer to the older woman, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as she began to cry.

"Evelyn..." She took the empty glass and placed it on the table, turning and lifting the brunette's chin so that she was staring into her eyes. "Caleb's strong. I know a bit about the seduction of dark powers, and trust me. He'll be fine."

"But he's so young," she whispered, her sobs dying down to small hiccups. "That much power shouldn't be given to someone so young."

"I know," Buffy agreed sadly, gently patting the other woman on the back.

"Promise that you'll keep him safe?" She stared at Caleb's mother for a second, feeling her heart break at the fact that she was being called upon to protect the woman's son. There was nothing that Evelyn could do, so she was giving the responsibility to Buffy.

"I promise."

--

About half an hour later, Buffy had politely excused herself from the conversation, wanting to take a shower before she saw the boys. She was currently shampooing her hair in the beautiful, stone shower, singing a song, slightly off key, that she had stuck in her head. Rinsing out her hair, she got out of the shower, wrapping herself in a fuzzy white towel and walking over to the mirror. Wiping her hand across it to dispel the condensation, she gasped and clutched the white marble sink, feeling a large pulse of energy flow through her veins, exactly like the one she had felt two nights ago. Slowly turning around, she stepped back, her lower back connecting with the sink, as a puff of steam took the shape of a face before disappearing all together. Not feeling the presence in the room any longer, she slowly backed out of the room, watching for any signs of supernatural activity.

"Bad, bad, bad," she muttered to herself as she rushed into the bathroom, vaulting over the bed and grabbing her cell phone off the nightstand. Quickly dialing Caleb's number, she waited impatiently as it rung a few times. "Caleb?" she asked as soon as he answered. "Something happened... I just-..."

"Woah, Buffy, slow down!" he interrupted gently, and she took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing.

"I was getting out of the shower and I got one of those... energy pulse things whenever one of you use. There was this little... puff of smoke or something behind me, and there was some sort of... face in it. A second after I saw it, it disappeared into thin air." She sat down on the bed, pulling the towel closer to her body and worrying her lip between her teeth.

"Are you sure it wasn't just... steam?" Buffy rolled her eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"I've been the Slayer for two years. I think I know evil when I see and feel it. I got that feeling that I get whenever you guys use."

"Alright, alright, sorry, just making sure." There was a pause as he said something to someone by him. "Something happened to me too. I was racing Chase today at practice, and his eyes went completely back."

"Are you sure?" There was a pause, and she could practically hear him raising his eyebrow at her. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized, realizing that she had just done the thing that she had gotten annoyed at him for. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll come pick you up now, and we'll decide together, alright?" Buffy nodded without thinking but then answered, realizing that he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, sure. See you soon." Bidding goodbye to her friend, Buffy snapped her phone shut, walking over to the closet and once again glancing outside to see the rain pounding against the window, she changed into a pair of form-fitting jeans and a black longsleeved shirt. Not bothering drying her hair since it would get wet the second she stepped outside, she grabbed her phone, wallet, and a few weapons, tucking each into it's usual place before grabbing a jacket and exiting the room. Making her way down the stairs, she sat down on the last one, leaning her head against the banister and waiting for Caleb to show up. About ten minutes later, the door opened, and he stepped through, soaking wet.

"Hey," he said, rushing over to her and sweeping her up into a hug, a relieved look on his face. "You're alright."

"Fine." She gave him a smile as he released her and followed him outside and into the rain, quickly getting into the car and shaking the water from her hair and jacket. "So, where are we going?"

"Just to the admissions office to do a little breaking and entering." He didn't elaborate any further, and Buffy nodded.

"Sounds like fun." The rest of the drive was made in silence, and it took a little less than fifteen minutes to drive to the school due to the rain. Pulling into the lot, Caleb parked the silver convertible next to Pogue, and Buffy smiled as he opened the door and helped her out.

"All this attention could go to a girl's head," she joked, and he smiled at her before taking her hand and leading her over to Caleb.

"Come on." He crossed the parking lot and stopped in front of a old brick building. Pulling her under the overhang, he shook the rain from his jacket as Buffy and Pogue looked at him curiously.

"Why are we doing this?" asked Pogue, mirroring her thoughts.

"Because I saw the darkling again. And something attacked Buffy." He gestured toward her, and Pogue spun around, looking at her in concern.

"It'd didn't attack me. It just watch me get... out of the shower." Buffy scrunched up her nose, what had happened finally sinking in. "Ew. Okay, that's worse." Seeing that she was unhurt, Pogue turned back to Caleb.

"Yeah, but why break into the admissions office?"

"Cause I want to know more about Chase Collins." He made for the door, but Pogue grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Look, I don't even like the guy, but are you sure you're not just imaging this?" Caleb shook his head, clearly annoyed by Pogue's lack of faith.

"I'm telling you. His eyes were as black as night in the pool today."

"Alright..." said Pogue hesitantly, looking over to Buffy who shrugged her shoulders. Caleb walked up to the door and with a flash of his eyes, the lock clicked open, and he pushed them both into the warm, dry room.

"Hey guys," Buffy said as Caleb shut the door, causing both of them to turn toward her. "I'm gonna stay here. Play look out in case someone shows up." The two nodded, knowing that she could take care of herself, and continued down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, disappearing from sight. Slinking away from the window so that she wouldn't be seen by anyone walking toward the building, she dropped onto a nearby bench, wondering what they were looking for. What they were expecting to find. Her eyes glazed over as she watched the rain pound against the clear glass, but she was snapped out of her daze as she saw someone hurrying toward the building through the rain. A security guard. "Dammit." Racing down the hall and up the stairs, she skidded to a halt, spotting Pogue and Caleb by some cabinets. "Security guard!" Their heads whipped toward the staircase as they heard the sound of the door being opened, and the boys gathered up their papers.

"Get on my back," Pogue whispered, turning his back to her.

"What?" She furrowed her brow, not understanding what he wanted.

"Just do it." She raised an eyebrow but locked her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, pulling herself up. A second later, she was floating by the ceiling, grabbing onto him for support as her stomach did little flip flops from the height. Looking to the left, she saw that Caleb was right next to them, his arms spread to his sides to keep him airborne. Glancing down, she watched as the security guard walked into the room, stopping once he saw that a cabinet, the one that Pogue and Caleb had been searching through, had been left open. Clicking on his flashlight, he looked around the room but thankfully didn't look directly above him. A few papers loose papers fell out of the folder Pogue was holding, and Buffy made to grab for them, but they stopped in mid air as the fire flashed in Caleb's eyes. The guard continued to look around for another few seconds before slamming the cabinet closed and walking out of the room. Buffy let out the breath she had been holding, her feet touching the ground as Pogue let them down.

"That was close." Caleb opened the cabinet, and the two hastily shoved the folders into it, closing and locking it softly behind them. "Got all you need?"

"Yeah." Caleb nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder and leading her down the stairs. However, a second later, he blurted a name out, causing both Buffy and Pogue to jump slightly at the sudden sound. "Agnus Goodwin Pope. That's where I've heard it before."

"Come again?" Buffy asked. Looking over at Pogue, she saw that he looked about as confused as she felt.

"The Book of Damnation." He turned his attention away from Buffy and toward Pogue. "They used to call her Goody Pope. Do you remember her?" He shrugged, clearly still confused.

"I haven't read the book since we were kids." Caleb turned away, and grabbing Buffy by the hand, strode out of the building, dragging her with him. Buffy groaned as her newly dried hair and clothes were once again soaked by the rain. Wrenching her hand out of his grip, not one to be pulled along behind someone, she gave him a look, which he promptly ignored. Leading her over to the car, he nudged her in, closing it behind her.

"Just call Reid and Tyler," she heard him order before getting into the driver's seat. Pogue nodded before hopping on his motorcycle, pulling on the helmet, and speeding out of the parking lot. "Buffy, I think I should take you home. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Enough with this big brother crap," she said, giving him an annoyed glare. "I know that you want to protect me, but I'm already in this. There is no way that I'm going to let you four face this by yourself. Now drive." He gave her a look, but she waved her hands as the steering wheel, gesturing for him to get moving. "C'mon Caleb. If you don't drive, I'll be forced to. And we both know that if I'm driving, we won't make it ten feet without crashing." He sighed, staring at her for a second before starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot onto the street. It took them about twenty minutes to get to his family's only colonial house, Buffy staring out the windshield the entire time, thinking about the fact that whenever she tried to get a bit of piece and quiet, evil seemed to find her. It had stopped raining, but the roads were still slick, and the trees lining the winding road continued to fling large water droplets onto the car.

Pulling up to the wooden fence of the house, Caleb put the convertible in park, and Buffy got out of the car, noticing that Pogue's bike and Tyler's SUV were already there. Taking her hand in his, he led her across the front lawn of the property toward the house, entering it quietly and leading her to the kitchen. Opening a simple wooden door, he led her to the basement, a place where Buffy had only set foot in once before: the night that they had told her about the powers they were to inherit from their fathers. As Caleb led her down a series of steep stone steps that were lined with candles, she saw that Pogue, Tyler, and Reid were all there, standing somewhat tensely in front of three stone benches on opposite sides of a raised circular platform. Buffy looked around the room, her stomach clenched at the expectant silence. No one greeted them. The three boys simply watched as they reached the bottom, Caleb placing a hand on her shoulder and leading her to the bench between Tyler and Reid. She sat down on the very left of the bench, making room for him in case he sat down. None of them questioned her presence, they all considered her family and knew that she was as much part of this as they were.

"I told them everything. About the darkling. What we found in his file." Caleb nodded at Pogue in acknowledgment, and he turned toward the bookcase located between his and Tyler's bench, flashing his eyes and directing an ornately bound book off of the bookcase and onto a circular, stone table-like structure with carvings on the surface in the middle of the circle. As soon as the book reached the circle, it continued to float above it, and a fire ignited around the rim, lighting the room. Caleb sat down next to Buffy, and the others followed, watching as the book opened and flipped to a specific page.

"It's a list of names," Caleb started in a low voice as the book lifted up, circling around the table so that they all could see what was on the pages. Buffy squinted at the small script and ornate decorations, unable to read it. "Filed charges against John Putnam and his family during the Salem hunt." The boys and Buffy looked away from the book, focusing all of their attention on Caleb. "Pope was one of them. Goody Pope. Widow of Jacob, mother to Agen-..."

"So what?" interrupted Reid. Caleb didn't give him a look like Buffy had expected. He merely continued his explanation.

"So she claimed that John Putnam came to her as an incubus in her dreams. After she was widowed." The book flipped a few pages backwards, continuing it's circling of the table. "The book also records births and deaths during the damnation. Goody Pope's husband Jacob died June 4, 1692. Her son Hagan was born April 11, 1693. That's ten months and twenty-four days later." The book slammed shut and dropped to the table, causing the fire encircling it and the candles around the room to flicker.

"If what you're saying is true," Tyler said after a moment's pause, looking away from the book and toward Caleb. "Then Hagan Pope is the bastard son of John Putnam. And the fifth bloodline didn't end at Salem." Caleb dropped his head and took a deep breath before continuing.

"And Chase is one of us."

"That's crazy," exclaimed Reid, his gaze fixed on Caleb. "He can't be." Caleb sighed again, looking straight at Reid.

"The night after the party at the Dells, someone was using. The power was strong enough to wake me."

"Me too," Buffy whispered, causing the boys' gaze to snap toward her.

"The next night, it happened again," continued Caleb.

"I felt it then," Pogue piped up, nodding.

"See I told you," said Tyler, gesturing toward Reid before turning back toward Caleb. "I felt it too." Caleb looked at the fire for a few moments before glancing at Reid.

"When you said it wasn't you, were you lying?" Reid looked slightly annoyed at being asked this question again, but he answered obediently.

"No."

"You swear." His voice was so low and demanding that Reid would have been an idiot to lie to him.

"I swear." There was a long pause while Buffy looked at Caleb as he took another deep breath.

"Then it was him." Caleb's cell phone rung, and he looked down, reaching into his inner coat pocket and pulling it out. Looking at the screen, Buffy saw that it was Sarah. "Hey, could I call you ba-..." He paused and Buffy leaned closer, hearing crying and deep breaths through the phone.

"Kate's been attacked," Buffy heard through the phone with her Slayer hearing. She gasped and made to stand up, but Caleb put a hand on her knee, telling her to stay put and be quiet.

"Wait, wait, what?" He paused again, his eyes staring straight into Buffy's.

"They say it's like she's been bitten by spiders." Sarah took a deep breath, calming herself so that she could continue. "And I had this terrible nightmare about spiders." Another deep breath. "I'm scared, Caleb. Something weird is happening." Caleb's voice was still soft, but his next sentence came out as an order.

"Okay, listen I want you to go back to your dorm and wait for me there. I'll see you soon, okay?" He clicked off his phone and brought it to his lips before dropping it back into his pocket and taking another deep breath. "He's put a spell on Kate."

"What are you talking about?" Pogue demanded, and Buffy could hear the worry in his voice. "What kind of spell?"

"Creation. Spiders. They're taking her to a hospital in Gloucester." Pogue stood up, his eyes going completely black, making a few of the candles close to him flicker and go out. "Wait!" Caleb put up a hand, motioning for him to sit back down. "Don't do anything until we know wha-"

"We're talking about Kate!" Pogue yelled before running up the stairs, candles flickering out as he ran by them. Without another glance at the other boys, Buffy jumped to her feet and chased him up the stairs, out of the house, and across the front lawn, finally catching up to him as he reached his bike.

"Pogue!" she yelled, taking a step back as his head whipped toward her, his eyes black and a snarl on his face. When he saw her, his face relaxed and he got onto his bike, but his eyes didn't return to their normal color. "Wait, I'm coming with you."

"No." He revved up the bike, but she clamped a hand over his, squeezing and preventing him from going anywhere.

"We can argue, or we can go see if your girlfriend's okay." He stared at her for a few minutes before handing her his helmet, clearly waiting for her to get on. Grabbing the helmet and putting it on, she jumped on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Backing up and swinging the bike around so it was facing the road, he sped off, his muscles tense beneath his leather jacket. Buffy didn't say another word, knowing that he needed quiet, lost in her own thoughts. Driving down the rain-slicked road, Pogue was bent almost completely flat against the bike, and Buffy looked at the speed gauge, seeing that he was going one forty. Wrapping her arms tighter around his waist and clenching her knees against the bike, she leaned forward, not really wanting to fly off. They drove for about ten minutes until Pogue slammed on the breaks, making the bike skid to a stop and Buffy smash into his back. Looking over his shoulder and shifting her hands to his hips, Buffy saw Chase standing in the middle of the road about a hundred feet in front of them, feeling the bike shift as Pogue planted his feet on the ground so that the bike stood standing.

"Pogue... No..."

"Come to save Little Miss Muffet, have we?" Buffy heard Chase say, and although he seemed to be speaking normally, his voice traveled the hundred or so feet, even without her Slayer hearing. "Well you're too late!" Pogue revved his engine.

"Pogue!" He ignored her, just as she predicted he would.

"A spider came and sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away." The bike shot forward, leaving skid marks on the road behind them, and Buffy flung her arms back around his waist to keep from flying off the back. Even from a hundred feet away, Buffy saw the tell-tale fire race across Chase's irises, and she took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to do. Without another thought, she removed her hands from Pogue's waist and tightened the grip on her bike with her legs before ripping the helmet off her head and plunking it down on Pogue's, feeling him jerk at his suddenly impaired vision. They were now only about twenty feet away from Chase. With a loud yell, she shoved Pogue off of the motorcycle, sending him tumbling to the pavement, and scrambled to the front, grabbing the handlebars and holding them steady. A few seconds before she hit him, Chase raised his arms, pointing them straight at the bike and raising them above his head. The next sequence of events seemed to happen in slow motion: Buffy was ripped from the bike and flew over Chase, crashing to the ground behind him, feeling her head smash against the concrete and the flesh being scraped from her body as she skid a few feet across the asphalt. She crashed into the sparking motorcycle and gasped as she felt the bones in her arm and a couple of her ribs snap under the impact. She winced and let out a pained groan, rolling herself over onto her back.

"Well, well, well," she watched as Chase walked over to her, but she didn't try to get up. She knew she was too injured. She just laid there, breathing heavily with her head leaned back against the wet ground, blinking the blood out of her eyes. "This is even better than I expected." He kneeled down next to her, grabbing her jaw with one hand and lifting her head off the ground, using the other hand to caress her cheek. "Pogue would have been good bait for Caleb, but you... You're so much better." He laughed, but his expression quickly shifted to a scowl as Buffy spit a mouthful of blood into his face. "Ooooh. Feisty." He brought back the hand that had been caressing her cheek and slapped her across the face, causing her to clench her teeth as the blood from her head wound spattered into her eye. However, the next thing she knew, his hand was ripped from her jaw, making her grunt in pain as her head was dropped back to the ground. Turning her head to the side, she saw Chase getting to his feet a few yards away, and shifting her gaze in the other direction, she saw Pogue standing a few feet away with his arms raised in front of him. Looking back to where Chase was standing, she watched as he blew her a kiss before disappearing into thin air. Taking a deep breath and wincing as her fractured ribs shifted with the movement, she turned her gaze toward the sky as Pogue skidded to a halt next to her and dropped to his knees.

"Buffy!" He shifted her head into his lap, his hand coming back bloody from where it had connected with her wound. "What the hell were you thinking?" He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and dug his phone out of his pocket with his free hand, clearly dialing 911.

"Pogue..." she managed to get out before her breath caught in her throat, and she started coughing, a trail of blood trickling from her parted lips.

"Shh... Don't talk," he said looking down at her before yelling to the phone. "I need an ambulance!" Buffy's breath became ragged, and his face started to blur in front of her. "Buffy! stay with me!" She didn't respond and closed her eyes; suddenly the act of keeping them open became too much for her. "Buffy!" Letting out a deep breath, she felt her body go limp as she slipped into unconsciousness.

--

Dammit. Okay, so I wanted to finish this story up this chapter, but clearly that didn't happen. I waisted too many pages and time with Buffy at the mansion... Oh well. I guess you guys'll have to suffer through one more chapter! D Drop me a review and tell me what you think!


	4. The Final Showdown

Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Covenant. Each belongs to its respective genius, Joss Whedon and Renny Harlin. Too bad, I would have a lot of fun with those four incredibly gorgeous boys if they belonged to me... ;) They didn't have a script online for it, so all the lines, though copied from the movie, came from me watching and rewatching parts of the movie until I got them right!

I am SO INCREDIBLY SORRY that it took me this long to get this chapter out. Everything went wrong. First, I took a short trip to Arizona to visit a friend, so I didn't have time to write. Then, when I got back to school, my laptop crapped out, refusing to turn on and destroying the part of this chapter I had already had written. It was a nightmare. I had all these ideas floating around in my head, and I couldn't write them down! It was so frustrating! But yes, I hope you guys haven't given up on this story due to it's long update time.

Thanks so much to Angelus242, NiennaFaelivrin, John cena punk princess, Reese, Jd Midnight, Miko-Snow Goddess-Me, CalmB4Storm and Supernatural GilmoreGirls for your wonderful reviews! It always gives me a fuzzy feeling in my tummy when I get a new review! Keep 'em coming!

But anyways, enough with all the formalities, on with the story!

--

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

Buffy awoke to a slow beeping sound and opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as the bright florescent light assaulted her eyes. Looking around the room, she saw that she was in a hospital, and the slow beeping was coming from a heart monitor to her left. The clock on the monitor read eleven thirty-seven pm, and she frowned, wondering what day it was. Spotting three of her friends, she smiled slightly, noticing that they were all asleep: Reid was in a chair against the wall, his head leaning back against the white plaster with his mouth open slightly, Tyler was seated on the hard, tile floor with his chin to his chest and his arms wrapped around himself, and Pogue was seated in a chair at the end of the bed, his head buried in his arms on top of the scratchy material of her blanket. He had a few healing cuts and scrapes on his face, but thankfully, she didn't see any serious injuries. Sitting up, she felt a tugging in both her arms, looking down to see that they each had an IV in them and that her right arm was encased in a cast. She grabbed an IV in each hand and tugged, wincing slightly as the needles were ripped from her veins. She then lifted up the blanket, seeing that she was dressed in a white t-shirt and blue scrubs. Not the typical hospital patient attire, but much better than one of those gown things. Bringing a hand to her ribs, she saw that they were almost fully healed, the slight soreness being the only indication that they had been fractured. Her head snapped to the door as Caleb walked in, and she gave him a smile.

"Damn, you guys must be tired if you're asleep at eleven-thirty." Eyes widening when he saw that she was awake, he rushed to her side, bumping into Reid and almost causing him to fall out of the chair.

"What the hell, man?" He asked, glaring at Caleb, but jumped up and ran to the bed when he saw that Buffy was awake, effectively rousing Pogue and Tyler.

"Buffy, thank God you're alright." Caleb cupped her cheek in his hand, worry showing on his handsome face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tyler hopped up onto the bed by her feet, taking her uninjured hand in his, and she gave him a soft smile. "How long was I out?"

"About four days," said Pogue, looking at her with those soft hazel eyes." The doctors didn't know if you were ever going to wake up..."

"Well, guess I proved them wrong." Caleb pushed her back down onto the pillows, but she waved his hands away, wanting to stay sitting. "I'm fine. Can we go now? You know my thing with hospitals." She was actually doing pretty good, she hadn't even started screaming yet. However, they all just looked at her like she was crazy.

"Buffy, you just got into a motorcycle accident," Reid supplied, and Buffy looked at him with a 'duh' look. "You have a three cracked ribs, a broken arm, a concussion, a huge gash on your forehead and a bunch of cuts and scrapes. There is no way you are leaving this bed." She gave an annoyed sigh and tried to get up, knowing that all of those things would be healed by now, but four pairs hands prevented her from getting out of the bed.

"Guys, I'm fine." They continued to stare at her without removing their hands. She swatted their hands away and kicked the covers off of herself, giving them all an annoyed look. "Alright, look. Now try to keep up. Huge gash on the forehead?" She peeled off the bandage that was covering the wound on her forehead, smacking Caleb's hand away when he tried to stop her. It a bit red around the edges, but other than that, it was completely healed. There was a collective gasp from the four boys. "Check."

"Holy shit! How did you-..." Reid started, but she shushed him, not finished with her show quite yet.

"Three cracked ribs?" She pulled up the t-shirt, revealing her stomach. There was light bruising, but nothing like bruising and swelling she imagined was there before. "Check. Cuts and scrapes?" She pulled the scrubs up to her knees and held the the t-shirt so that it was covering her breasts, turning so that they could see the complete absence of scabs on her legs and back. Tyler brought a hand to caress her unblemished calf in disbelief, and she gave him a small smile. "Check. Broken arm?" She looked down at her hand, frowning when she remembered that the cast was still there. "Well, I can't really show you with this... thing on it... Can you...?" She gestured toward the cast with her other hand, and Reid's eyes flashed fire, making the plaster crack down the middle.

"Reid!" Caleb scolded, giving him a look.

"What?" he answered, sending Caleb a glare, and Buffy jumped in before they could get into another fight.

"Thanks." The two turned back to her. "Broken arm?" She tugged the cast off, revealing a perfectly healed arm except for some slight bruising and redness. She poked it and flexed her fingers to prove her point, smiling when she felt no pain, only a slight sense of tightness of a newly healed bone. "Check. And that concussion... Well I don't know how to prove that that's fine, but I assume it is since I'm talking, and I can remember stuff." Pogue grabbed her previously broken arm, running his fingers up and down it lightly, looking up into her face to see if it hurt. Buffy shook her head, and he sat back in his chair, looking dumbfounded. Reid was looking at her like she had grown another head, and Caleb was gently prodding the wound on her forehead.

"How did you-..." Tyler started before stopping, not really knowing what to say.

"You guys seriously underestimated Slayer healing." They continued to stare at her without saying anything, and she sighed, slightly frustrated that they weren't getting her out of there. "So, can we go now?" All of them stopped examining her, realizing that she was serious.

"Buffy..."

"Please?" She pouted, giving them her patented puppy dog eyes, knowing that they wouldn't be able to resist. Caleb sighed and shook his head before walking out of the room to go talk to a nurse. She gave a triumphant smile before turning back to the other three boys. "Can you seal this back up?" she asked, slipping the cast back onto her hand. "If they come check me, I don't want them to see that I managed to get it off without any type of tools." Pogue nodded, and his eyes flashed, fixing it. "How's Kate?"

"Not good," he whispered, and she took her hand in his, squeezing it sympathetically.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine."

A few moments later, a nurse came in and kicked the boys off of her bed, examining her, completely baffled by how Buffy healed so quickly. However, she discharged her all the same, insisting that they call if anything went wrong. Buffy said that she would and practically ran out of the hospital, wanting to get out of there and back into the fight as soon as possible. However, being almost midnight, this wasn't all that possible, and the five decided to head home and get some sleep. They split up after Buffy's insistence that she was fine and that she didn't need all four of them fussing over her, and the drive back to Caleb's house was made in silence. He kept looking over at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention, only stopping after she gave him an annoyed glare, telling him to quit it. He pulled into the driveway of the mansion and killed the engine, getting out and rushing to the other side to open the door for her. Giving her a small smile, Caleb grabbed her hand and led her into the house, closing the door quietly behind them so as not to wake his mother.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, taking the jacket he had lent her and hanging it up by the door. "Because I can stay up with you if you want." They had already established that she didn't want to sleep because she had been out for four days, and that he was tired and wanted to go to bed. She smiled at him, knowing that he felt guilty for leaving her alone so soon after she had woken up.

"No, I'm fine. Just going to take a shower, get something to eat, and watch some mindless middle-of-the-night T.V."

"Alright." He led the way up the stairs and down the hall to their rooms, stopping when they reached her door. "Just come get me if you need anything."

"Will do." Giving him a quick peck on the lips, she quickly undressed and hopped into the shower, wanting to wash that hospital smell off of her. When she was done throughly cleaning her hair and body, as she hadn't taken a shower since before the accident, she continued to stand under the stream of water, letting the heat soothe her sore muscles. A few minutes later, she got out, not bothering to dry her hair, and walked back into the bedroom, changing into a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top. Grabbing the t-shirt and scrubs she had been given at the hospital, she exited her room and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Right on cue, her stomach growled, and she frowned, knowing that the liquid in the IV was not nearly enough to feed her Slayer metabolism. Dumping the hospital clothes in the garbage and grabbing a frozen pepperoni pizza out of the freezer, she quickly read the directions before popping it into the oven and setting the timer for thirty minutes. Wandering into the living room, she grabbed a throw from the couch and draped it over herself, grabbing the remote and turning on the T.V., flipping through the channels aimlessly until she settled on some mindless reality show. Thirty minutes later, she heard the beeper and jumped off of the couch, grabbing a few slices and putting them on a plate before wrapping up the rest and shoving it in the fridge for the next day. She grabbed her snack and made her way back to the living room, settling down just as a new episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit started. Half way through the next episode and fully though her meal, Buffy felt the now-familiar jolt of energy she got when Chase used, and she closed off the T.V., quickly making her way though the kitchen to dump her plate on the counter and up the stairs, breaking into a full out run when she heard a loud crash come from Caleb's room. Flinging open the door to his room, her eyes widened as she saw that the bookcase was broken, a pile of books and other trinkets lying forgotten on the floor, and the mirror on the back of his closet door was completely shattered, broken glass littering the floor by the bed. Caleb was lying flat on his back in the center of the room, and Chase was straddling his waist, his hand gripping Caleb's chin while the other rested on his chest.

"Ew! What are you _doing_? Get off of him!" She crossed to the middle of the room in a few strides and grabbed Chase by his jacket, pulled him him off of Caleb, and flung him backwards so that he slammed into the wall. His eyes flashed black, and she flew across the room, skidding across the polished wooden floor and stopping once she hit the wall with a loud _thump_.

"Well, well, well," he scoffed, getting to his feet and brushing some imaginary lint off of his jacket. "Look who's all better. I've gotta say. For someone who was in a massive motorcycle accident, you look pretty damn good. But then again, you always look pretty damn good."

"Bit me," Buffy snarled, pushing herself to her feet.

"Mmm. You don't have to ask me twice." He gave her a suggestive smile before turning back to Caleb, who had managed to get into a sitting position and was leaning against the bed for support. "Well, I'd better be going. Catch you two later." And with that, he disappeared into thin air, leaving Buffy and Caleb staring at the place where he was just standing. Shaking her head, Buffy rushed over to Caleb, helping him to his feet and wincing in sympathy as he groaned in pain. Looking him over, she came to the conclusion that he wasn't seriously hurt but that he would probably be somewhat bruised and cut up in the morning.

"Here, come on. Let's get you to bed." She wrapped an arm around his shirtless waist and threw his arm over her shoulder, half dragging, half carrying him over to the bed. Helping him onto the mattress and pulling the comforter over him, she left the room and entered her own, grabbing her first aid kit before heading back across the hall. Hopping onto the bed and crawling over to Caleb, she took out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a few cotton ball out of the kit, slapping his hand away as he tried to cover the cut over his forehead. "Oh, stop being such a baby. Let me clean these." After cleaning the wound on his head and one on his chest, she forced him over on his stomach so that she could de-glass and clean the wounds located on his back. "There. All done." She packed up the kit and made to get off of the bed, but stopped when he grabbed her arm.

"Stay?" She gave him a soft smile and dumped the first aid kit onto his nightstand before crawling under the covers, laughing softly as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her flush against his half-naked body.

"So what was that all about?" she asked, a sense of calm sweeping over her body as he snuggled into the back of her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist, duplicating the position of her first night there.

"He wants me to will him his power," he answered, his voice muffled by her hair. "Tomorrow night at the barn. He wants me to meet him there before I ascend."

"What?" she asked, shooting up and looking down at him in disbelief. "How can you be so calm! He wants you to will him your power! What are we going to do? If you will it to him, you'll di-..."

"I know," he said in a soft voice, trying to pull her back down to him, but she swatted his hands away. "It's going to be fine. There's nothing we can do now. We'll tell Pogue, Reid, and Tyler in the morning, alright?"

"But-..."

"Buffy, please. I just..." He gave her those unbelievably adorable kicked puppy dog eyes that she couldn't resist, and she sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

"Fine." She wasn't one to give up easily, but hearing the desperation in his voice, she decided to let it go for now. She laid back down next to him, resting her head against the pillow as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Night." He gave her a small kiss on the back of her neck, making her tingle all over, before snuggling closer to her, his warm breath sending chills down her spine. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she let herself relax, the slight rise and fall of his chest against her back and his soft breathing lulling her into a light sleep.

--

Buffy cracked an eye open as Caleb slid out from beneath the sheets, having woken up as a result of his movements. Groaning softly at the tell-tale throbbing in her temples from not enough sleep, she glanced over at the clock on the nightstand, groaning again when she saw that it read nine am.

"Hey," Caleb greeted softly, sitting down on the bed and running a hand through her tousled hair. "I didn't mean to wake you. I called the boys. I'm going to go meet them and fill them in."

"Want me to come with?" She pushed herself to a sitting position, watching appreciatively as Caleb pulled on a pair of jeans and a tight white t-shirt.

"Nah, it's alright. Go back to sleep." Buffy frowned slightly, wanting to go back to sleep but feeling a bit guilty about it and wondering why she was so tired after being unconscious for four days.

"You sure?" Her eyes followed him across the room as he pulled on a jacket and shoved his cell phone, wallet, and keys into the pocket before sitting down on the bed to pull on a pair of black shoes.

"Yeah, I'll be back in a little bit." He gave her a peck on the lips before getting off the bed and walking toward the door. "Call me if you need me?"

"You know it." She gave him a smile, watching as he exited the room and closed the door softly behind him, before flopping back down on the pillows and snuggling deeper into the fluffy comforter.

--

A while later, Buffy heard the closing of a door and opened her eyes, craning her neck to look at the clock and seeing that it was now about eleven-thirty. Looking down at the foot of her bed, her brow furrowed confusedly as she noticed two medium-sized white boxes and and two smaller ones with a single red rose placed on top of the pile. Throwing back the covers, she crawled across the bed toward them, gently picking up the rose and putting it down on the dark blue comforter before turning her attention to the larger, flat box. Pulling off the lid, she let out a small gasp as she saw what it was, gently lifting it out of the box to reveal a simple black cocktail dress. Although it was simple, it was absolutely gorgeous: it was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and fitted bust and waist, layers of silk chiffon flowing from the neckline to the knee-length hem.

"Oh my god." Gently placing the dress back in the box, she grabbed the other large one, wanting to save the small blue one for last. Yanking the lid off of the box, she smiled widely when she saw that it contained a pair of black strappy sandals with a three inch heal. Setting that box aside, she grabbed the last one, letting out a loud gasp as she lifted the lid. Inside was a white gold diamond necklace, with nine small, absolutely perfect diamonds arranged in a shape of a V. The white gold chain was intricately woven, ending in an ornate clasp. Staring at the necklace for moment, she had the sudden urge to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming but snappEd out of her daze a second later when she realized she had one more box to open. Quickly discarding the lid, she saw that inside was a pair of matching diamond studs.

"Do you like it?" She whirled to see Caleb leaning against the door frame, watching her with an amused smile. The others were also crowded into the doorway with eager looks on their faces, clearly hoping that she liked what they picked out for her. She briefly wondered how they had all managed to get into her room without her noticing but eventually chalked it up to the distraction that their gifts had provided and waved them over to the bed.

"What is all this?" she asked, watching as all four walked over to the bed. Caleb and Pogue settled themselves on the bed in front of her, Tyler made himself comfortable at her side, and Ried slid onto the bed behind her, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist once she was comfortably seated.

"Tonight's the dance," said Tyler matter-of-factly, and Buffy nodded, knowing about the traditional Spenser dance on the first weekend back from Summer break. Pogue sensed that she wasn't satisfied with that answer and continued off of Tyler's explanation.

"We wanted to get you something nice to wear."

"But it's so expensive," she protested, looking between the shoes, dresses, and jewelry, knowing that all this stuff probably cost them a fortune.

"Nothing's too good for our favorite Slayer," Reid said softly, his warm breath tickling her ear and making her squirm slightly.

"But-..."

"None of that. You're keeping it," Pogue scolded, giving her a small smile. Buffy gave him a small smile before narrowing her eyes suspiciously, noticing that Caleb had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the entirety of their explanation. Feeling the mood shift instantly, she frowned slightly as he refused to meet her eyes, knowing that something was up.

"Guys, what's going on." None of them answered, so Buffy continued to prod. "Guys." There was another short pause before Tyler spoke up.

"Caleb's going after Chase," he said quietly, not looking at her. "Tonight."

"Like hell he is!" Buffy exclaimed, her voice somewhat louder than usual. She tried to get up, but Reid held her tight against his chest, trapping her against him. "Caleb! You can't! It's suicide! And you three!" She gestured wildly since she was unable to get up and pace. "Letting him do this!"

"We're not _letting_ him do anything!" Reid snapped, giving her an apologetic look when she turned to look at him in shock.

"Buffy," Caleb said assertively, and she faced forward to look at him. "I'm doing this. Alone." She opened her mouth to protest, but he raised a hand to silence her. "It's me who he wants. I'm not risking any of you. Not again."

"But-..."

"No," he said firmly, looking straight into her eyes. "You're not coming with me." Buffy tore her eyes away from Caleb's to look at the other boys. By the expressions on their faces, it was evident they had clearly tried to talk him out of this and had received the same speech she was getting now. She sighed loudly and nodded, knowing that if she tried to argue, she would end up either crying or yelling. Knowing that neither would help the situation, she let it go, fully intending on cornering Caleb when they were alone.

"Fine." He gave her a small smile and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening passed quickly, Buffy and the boys formulating a game plan for that night. Pogue, Tyler, and Reid had brought their clothes to Caleb's house and would change there so that they were ready to leave for the dance as soon as Caleb was ready. The boys would escort Buffy to the dance, and Caleb would meet up with him after he defeated Chase. Realistically, this was the best case scenario, and they all knew it, but none of them wanted to think about what would happen if Caleb lost. Buffy thought she knew all the details of the situation, but at exactly nine-thirty, there was a knock at the door that completely shot this theory to hell. Reaching the door first, Buffy threw it open to see a slightly nervous Sarah standing there with a few bags in her hands.

"Hi?" she greeted questioningly, stepping back after a moment so that the other girl could enter.

"Hi, Buffy," Sarah greeted timidly, giving the shorter girl a small smile. Buffy could sense the slight twinge of jealousy to her voice, and raised an eyebrow, wondering if something had happened between her and Caleb.

"Sarah," she heard Caleb say, and a second later, he appeared at her side, giving Sarah a smile and and leading her to the stairs. "Bathroom's up the stairs on the left. You can get ready there."

"Alright, thanks Caleb." She quickly climbed the stairs and disappeared out of sight, and Buffy heard the quiet slam of a door as she reached the bathroom. Continuing to stare at the stairs for a few seconds, she turned on Caleb, pinning him with a look.

"What's she doing here?" she asked, and Caleb grabbed her hand, leading her into the living room where Tyler, Reid, and Pogue were all seated.

"She's going to the dance with you guys."

"Wait, what?" She was still confused, not understanding why this girl was here when they were all preparing for what could realistically be the next apocalypse if Chase got Caleb's power. "What about Chase? Don't involve an innocent girl, Caleb!"

"She knows about Chase," he explained, gently pushing her down onto the couch next to Tyler. "And she knows about what we are." He gestured between himself and the three other boys.

"How?"

"She had a dream about the spiders before Chase attacked Kate. She looked it up in the library and found out. I took her to see my dad when she confronted me." Buffy gave him a shocked look. She and the other Sons of Ipswitch were the only ones who knew about Caleb's father.

"She could get hurt!" she protested, the Slayer in her surfacing at the chance that this girl could potentially be in danger. "What if Chase goes after her? She's too close, Caleb!"

"He wont," he said quickly. "Not if she goes with you. I don't think he'll try anything in the open." Suddenly, something clicked, and she couldn't stop herself from blurting it out.

"Is she your... date?" Caleb smiled, seeing the jealousy behind her words, and shook his head.

"It didn't work out between me and Sarah. I'm in love with someone else." Buffy blinked and looked over at Tyler, who was currently staring down at his hands. There was a moment of awkward silence before Reid, aways the impatient one, spoke up.

"So... we should start getting ready now, yeah?" Buffy snapped her head toward him, only to see that there was something behind his eyes that she couldn't distinguish.

"What? Oh yeah," said Caleb, snapping out of his daze. "Sure." Pushing herself off of the couch after giving Tyler's hand a small squeeze, she made her way up the stairs and down the corridor to her room, closing the door behind her. She quickly shed her t-shirt and jeans and slipped on the black dress the boys had given her that morning, loving the way the smooth fabric slid over her tanned skin. Grabbing the boxes with the earrings and necklace, she entered the bathroom and placed them on the counter. After using a curling iron to give her hair soft waves, she parted it on the left, letting it sweep across her forehead, and clipped it into a half up, half down style. Wanting to keep her make-up light, she applied a sheen of waterproof mascara and pale pink lip gloss before gently taking the earrings and necklace out of their boxes and putting them on, taking a step back to admire her reflection in the mirror. Giving a satisfied smile, she walked back into the bedroom and grabbed the black strappy sandals, slipping them on and grabbing a small purse, filling it with her cell phone, wallet, and a small knife. Looking around the room and deciding that she didn't need anything else, she exited the bedroom and descended the stairs, entering the drawing room to see that Caleb and his mother were wrapped up in an intense discussion, Pogue, Tyler, and Reid standing awkwardly around the sides of the room. They all looked absolutely gorgeous. Reid was wearing a blue button down shirt with a red t-shirt under it, a black blazer, and his trademark fingerless gloves, Tyler was dressed a bit more traditionally in a light blue button down, a loosely tied tie, and a black sports jacket, Pogue was wearing a simple black button down shirt, and Caleb was wearing a white button down shirt with a black tie. All of them were wearing neatly-ironed black slacks, and Buffy smiled, thinking that they looked much better dressed up with their own flair than in their school uniforms. Then again, they looked pretty damn cute in those, too.

"Caleb, you cannot do this alone," Evelyn was saying, sweeping across the room in a long silk robe. "We have to go to the others." Buffy quietly slipped into the room and skirted around the edge, coming to stand next to Tyler. She could feel his eyes on her, as well as Pogue and Reid's, as she walked up to him, and she frowned slightly as Caleb and his Evelyn ignored her and continued to argue.

"You look beautiful," Tyler said softly, grazing her cheek with his lips and making her blush slightly.

"Thanks," she whispered. "You don't look too bad yourself." Reid gave her a wink and, she smiled back before turning her attention back to Caleb and his mom.

"We can't do that," Caleb said, softly, looking Evelyn straight in the eye. "He'll kill us all, including you. Buffy was the final warning."

"Then we have to go to your father." Caleb closed his eyes briefly before shaking his head.

"No. I know what you're thinking mother, and you know what'll happen." There was a short moment of silence as Evelyn looked at her son, bringing her hands to his face to cup his cheeks.

"But he loves you."

"It doesn't matter. I have to do this by myself." He gathered her hands in his and gave them a soft kiss before dropping them to her sides. She looked down, clearly upset, before pulling away and walking over to sit down on the couch. "Is Sarah still upstairs?"

"Yes," she sighed, shaking her head. "You should have never involved her." Buffy moved from Tyler's side and sat down on the couch next to Evelyn, taking the older woman's hands in hers in a gesture of comfort. "You look beautiful, my dear," she whispered to Buffy as a side note, giving her a small smile.

"You're right," Caleb said softly, closing his eyes and running a hand over his face. "I can't change the past and he's using her against me. All of you." He looked over at Buffy and gave her a sad smile. "And it's going to stop." He walked over to where Tyler, Pogue, and Reid were congregated, clapping Reid on the back and giving him a look. "Take Buffy and Sarah to the dance. I'll meet you there."

"Will you just let us help you?" Reid asked exasperatedly, fixing the older boy with a glare. "You know we've got your back." Pogue and Tyler nodded in agreement, and Caleb sighed.

"I know you do," he said, his voice sad but demanding. "But please, just once, do what I ask." Reid continued to look at him for a second, but eventually caved and nodded. Caleb let go of Reid's shoulder and walked over to Buffy, taking her hand in his and pulling her to a standing position. Holding her out at arms length to take in her appearance, he gave her a smile before raising their hands, forcing her into a little twirl. "You look absolutely perfect."

"Thanks," she answered softly, her stomach sinking at the turmoil behind his beautiful brown eyes. Just then, Sarah entered the room, dressed in a long, low cut, white dress with delicate sleeves. Her hair was twisted into a loose not at the base of her neck, and there was a shiny white ribbon tied around her neck. Letting go of Buffy's hand, Caleb walked over to Sarah, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Letting out a soft sigh, Buffy watched them, looking up as Pogue slipped an arm around her waist and smiled down at her.

"You guys ready?" Caleb called, and Buffy nodded, allowing Pogue to lead her out the front door and to Tyler's black SUV, Tyler and Reid trailing behind them. Walking her to the the passenger side door, Pogue stopped and dropped his hand from Buffy's waist, leaving her side as Reid opened the door for her. Forcing herself to remain in the seat as the three boys got into the car, she watched out the window as Sarah and Caleb said their goodbyes. Once they were done, Buffy slipped out of the car and slammed the door shut after her, ignoring Reid's yelling at her to get her "sexy ass" back into the car. Watching as Sarah slid into the back seat with Reid and Pogue, she walked right up to Caleb, smiling inwardly at his surprised look.

"I'm coming with you," she said matter-of-factly, moving her hands to rest on her hips.

"No you're not," he responded, attempting to push he back to the car, but she stood her ground. "Buffy, get in the car."

"No!" She yelled, ripping her arm from his grasp. "There is no way I'm going to stand around twiddling my thumbs while you're fighting that bastard to the death!"

"Buffy, you promised."

"Actually, I think I said 'fine' in an extremely annoyed tone of voice, fully intending to corner you about it later." He moved to grab her arm again, and she took a step back, effectively evading him.

"Buffy..." he started, but she quickly interrupted him.

"Don't Buffy me." She glanced over at the car to see that all the windows had been rolled down, and Reid had moved to the front seat, knowing that she wasn't going to stand down. "You know how stubborn I am. So we can either stand here and argue about it, or we can go kick some bad guy ass." He continued to look at her for a few minutes, jumping slightly as lightning flashed through the air, signaling rain.

"Alright. Get in the car." She gave him a smug smile and Tyler a thumbs up before jogging over to Caleb's silver Mustang and getting in. "Are you sure?" he asked her the second he slid into the seat and slammed the door shut.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go," she ordered, and he smiled at her, giving her knee a quick squeeze before inserting the key into the ignition, starting the car, and following Tyler's SUV out of the driveway. The drive to the barn was made in silence, Caleb concentrating on the road, and Buffy staring out the window, watching as the heavy rain splattered against the glass. Fifteen minutes later, Caleb's cell phone rang, making them both jump slightly at the sudden break in silence.

"Hello?" he asked after fishing it out of his pocket and answering. Buffy went back to staring out the window, hardly listening as Caleb talked to Reid on the phone.

"Any sign of him?"

"No."

"Good. Listen, I'm on the way. If he does show, promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Caleb..." She heard the hesitancy in his voice, and she knew that all he wanted was to meet them at the barn so that he could help fight Chase.

"Promise me." There was a pause and a sigh before Reid answered.

"Fine, I promise."

"How's Sarah doing. Can I talk to her?"

"Yeah, she's fine, man, hang on." Buffy heard the phone being passed, and a second later, Sarah greeted Caleb warmly.

"Hey, how you holding up?"

"I'm fine. Caleb, when are you going to get here?"

"I'll be there soon, I just ha-... Shit!" Buffy's head snapped to the front window to see Chase standing on top of the hood of the car, and she braced herself against the dash board with her hands as Caleb slammed on the breaks, sending the convertible skidding to the side of the road. Buffy made to get out of the car, but Caleb grabbed her arm, his eyes locked with Chase's through the rain-soaked windshield. Raising a hand, Chase blew a hole through the front window, and Buffy brought her arms to her protect her face, waiting for the flying glass to cut into her flesh, but it never came. Looking to her left, she saw that Caleb had slowed the glass so that it hung in mid air, bouncing against their faces, and was still staring at Chase, blinking as the rain pelted him through the broken window.

"So, what's your plan? You can't beat me, you know," Chase taunted, giving them both a smirk. And with that, he leaped to the back of the car and the rest of the windows exploded, but Caleb slowed it once again. Without another word or look at Buffy, he stumbled out of the car in to the rain and started running toward the old Putnam Barn.

"Caleb! Wait!" He disappeared behind a clump of trees, and Buffy swore, scrambling out of the passenger's side door, gasping when the cold rain made contact with her flushed skin. Kicking off her high-heeled shoes, she sprinted toward the barn, cursing loudly as the pouring rain soaked her hair and dress. "Caleb!" she yelled, entering the structure, nearly running into him, as he stood just inside the door. "What are you..." She craned her neck so that she could see around him, stopping once she saw Chase standing on the rafter on the other end of the barn, a flash of lightning breaking the darkness. "Oh..."

"Well, well, well..." he scoffed, giving the two a smirk before turning his attention toward Buffy. "Look who we have here. You look absolutely gorgeous." Caleb pushed Buffy back behind him before snarling back at Chase.

"Don't you dare talk to her. Don't even look at her!" She swatted his hand holding her behind him away, stopping at his side and giving him a look when he tried to pull her back.

"Ahhh, young love. There's nothing like it." Another flash of lightning filled the barn, illuminating his smirk. "You know, I'm just getting the feeling that you're not going to keep up your end of the bargain, so you won't mind if I take out a small insurance policy, will you?" In the blink of an eye, he was gone. A second later, Caleb tumbled forward onto the ground, and Buffy spun around only to find herself face to face with Chase. She made to lunge for him, but before she could make contact, he raised his arms and shot a water-looking bolt of power at her, sending her flying across the barn and slamming into the opposite wall. She jumped up and started to run back to him, but four walls appeared, trapping her in a cage made of the water-like substance and sending her tumbling to the ground.

"No! Caleb!" She slammed her fist into the barrier, but it was like hitting solid rock, and she drew her hand back, wincing. "Dammit!" She punched it again, but to no avail.

"Buffy!" Caleb started to run toward her, but Chase raised a hand, erecting a wall in front of him so that he slammed into it and fell to the ground.

"Ah, ah, ah," Chase scolded, waving a finger mockingly at him. "You touch her and she dies."

"Oh _please_," Buffy scoffed, seeing Caleb's eyes turn black and wanting to divert Chase's attention from her friend. "That is so typical movie villain. I half expect you to suddenly grow a goatee so that you can twist it around your finger." Chase turned toward her, and for a second she thought that it had worked, but the second Caleb scrambled to his feet and took a step toward the older boy, Chase held up a hand in his direction, shooting a bolt of energy that sent him flying through the air, landing in a heap on the floor.

"I'll tell you what," Chase said with a smirk, watching as Caleb pushed himself to his feet. "I'll make this easy for you. How about an accident. You lose control of your car on the way to the pathetic little dance. Trust me, I'm good at car accidents." He gave a smile similar to that of someone reminiscing before his features returned to a mocking smirk. "Everyone will miss you. You'll say great things about you. Only the covenant will know the real truth, but to them, you'll become a legend. The one who gave his life for them. And Buffy. But don't worry. I'll take good care of her." He glance over at Buffy, giving her a suggestive smirk and eyebrow raise, causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust and give the barrier another solid punch in vain.

"How about you let her go and fight me like a man," Caleb snarled, his eyes flashing at the threat to Buffy's safety.

"How about I make you my we-atch?" Chase gave a little chuckle, clearly thinking this line was hilarious, and Buffy rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"Did you seriously just say that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him in disgust. "That was seriously the worst pun I've ever heard in my entire life. And trust me, I've heard some pretty bad ones."

"Quiet, sweetheart," he replied, not looking at her. "The big boys are playing now."

"I'll never will you my power," Caleb said firmly, sending Chase a glare, a sight that was quite terrifying with this blackened eyes.

"Then it looks like trouble for Buffy," Chase retaliated with a smirk, looking back and Buffy and blowing her a kiss.

"I'll never let that happen," Caleb snarled, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"Excuse me!" Buffy called, slightly annoyed. "I _am_ standing right here, you know!" However they both ignored her and continued with their staring match.

"Fine. let's do it your way." Without any warning, Chase thrust his hands out in front of him, sending a bolt of energy at Caleb that knocked him backwards to the ground. Taking a few steps forward, he slammed his foot to the ground, encasing Caleb in the watery substance so that his hands were pinned to his sides.

"Caleb!" Buffy yelled, once again slamming her fist into the barrier and letting out a frustrated scream as her knuckles split, sending a stream of blood flowing down her arm. Caleb struggled, but couldn't seem to free himself. Shaking her head to get her soaking hair out of her face, she turned her attention to Chase. "Leave him alone, you son of a bitch!"

"Now, now," Chase scolded, looking over his shoulder and giving her a smile. "Wait your turn, love. I'll get to you in a second." She let out another scream of frustration, slamming both palms into the barrier. She let loose a flurry of punches as Chase and Caleb continued to fight, finally sinking to her knees in defeat, fury bubbling inside her as Chase sent Caleb crashing into a wooden support beam and held him there, suspended in the air at the top of the pole. Buffy jumped to her feet as a bolt of lightning crashed through the roof of the barn and attached itself to Caleb, this sizzling of electricity mixing with his screams of pain.

"Caleb!" She wrenched her gaze away from where the lightning had merged with Caleb's body, causing various beams of light to protrude from his chest, and toward a widely smiling Chase. "Stop it! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't hurt him anymore!" She pounded on the barrier with her fists, desperate to help her friend. To kill the bastard that was torturing him. To do _something_.

"Oh, I'm not doing anything," he answered, turning to look at her with a look of utter glee. "Your boyfriend's ascending. It's only a matter of time before I have his powers and he's just another dead teenager. But you. I may just keep you around for a while. I'm thinking a Princess Lea gold bikini? Could be fun."

"I swear to God. I'm going to show you so much pain that you'll _beg_ me to kill you to put you out of your misery," she snarled, pressing her face as close to the barrier as possible and narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"I can't wait. Now shh, you're making me miss the show!" He waved a hand at her dismissively before turning back to Caleb, watching him for a second before addressing him. Caleb continued to scream and writhe in pain and Buffy slammed her palms against the barrier before turning away and starting to pace, unable to watch this any longer. "Scary, huh, Caleb? This new power you get when you ascend. Frankly, I don't think you're cut out for it. So why don't we just call it a night. Just say the words." Buffy once again found herself watching as Chase's eyes widened slightly as Caleb disappeared into the watery substance that the boys had been throwing at each other throughout the fight and reappeared on his knees on the hay-covered ground. With a snarl, he threw a bolt of energy at Chase, who easily deflected it away from himself, sending in Buffy's direction and knocking a lantern off of a crate next to her.

"Oh bad. Bad, bad, bad." She turned around and stepped back, feeling her back collide with the barrier as she winced at the sudden heat, taking in how rapidly the fire was spreading across the dry hay. Hearing a loud crash, she spun around, watching in horror as a pile of wood collapsed in on itself as Caleb slammed into it. Chase laughed, paying no attention to Buffy or the raging fire that threatened to consume the barn if it wasn't put out soon. "Dammit." Having long ago given up on trying to get out of the small cage she was trapped in, she watched helplessly as Caleb crawled out of the rubble on his hands and knees, and as Chase raised a finger, effortlessly slamming him back to the ground. He walked over to Caleb and knelt beside him, grabbing his hair and holding his head up so that they were both looking directly at Buffy and the fire that was rapidly growing behind her.

"You ready to say uncle?" he asked, and for once his voice was sombre instead of excited as it had been previously.

"Caleb! Don't do it!" Chase waved a hand in Buffy's direction, sending a bolt of energy crashing into her cage and making her jump back at the impact.

"I'm ready for you to go to hell," Caleb growled, but stayed on the ground, unable to summon the energy to push himself off of the ground. Chase gave a small smile before raising his hand and sending Caleb flying into the air and crashing through a window and into the rain.

"Don't go anywhere, gorgeous. I'll be back for you." Chase gave her one last smile before exiting the barn, leaving Buffy staring after him.

"No! Dammit!" Buffy gave the barrier another frustrated punch, widening the cuts on her knuckles and causing large amounts of blood to pour from them. Feeling a large blast of heat on her cheek, she twirled around to see that the crate next to her had caught fire, making her shrink back against the watery confines of her cage.

'_Great,_' she thought. '_I can see it now. Buffy Summers, longest living Slayer in history, survivor of vampire attacks, demon attacks, giant snake attacks, killed by fire._' She continued to panic for another few minutes before a loud crackling shook her out of her daze. Watching in confusion as another bolt of lightning shot through the roof of the barn, she let out a loud gasp as it slammed into the barrier in front of her, breaking it, before slicing through her chest. She had experienced pain before but nothing like this: it was as if thousands of white-hot needles were being shoved into her skin over and over. She collapsed to the ground and curled into the fetal position, her eyes rolling back in her head and her body shaking violently, blood trickling from her palms as a result of digging her fingernails into the soft flesh. She heard a loud, agonizing scream pierce the air around her, and it took a second for her to realize that it was coming from her. And just like that, it was over. In place of the pain, Buffy could feel energy pulsing through her veins, and she pushed herself to her feet, keeping her eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to quell the power bubbling under her skin. Finally opening her eyes and seeing that her vision was a few shades darker than normal, she gasped as something clicked in her brain. Lightning. Power. Darkened vision. That had to mean...

"Caleb!" The last word came out as a scream, and in the blink of an eye, Buffy found herself standing outside, her hair and dress once again getting completely soaked by the pouring rain. Squinting to see a few feet in front of her, her eyes narrowed as she made out Caleb sprawled on the ground, unmoving as Chase kneeled above him, his hands on either sides of Caleb's head. "No!" She sprinted at him head on, the rain blurring her vision, sending a solid punch to Chase's face the second he turned around at the sound of her voice. He flew through the air at the impact, landing several yards away as a result of the combination of her Slayer strength and her new power. Slowly, Buffy made her way to him, kicking him in the side once she reached him, causing him to cough and sputter as the rain poured down on him. Kicking his arm aside as he attempted to trip her, she straddled his waist and grabbed the collar of his jacket to hold him up, her knees sinking a few inches into the muddy ground. His eyes returned to their normal pale blue color as he looked up at her with a smirk. She continued to look down at him with a hard look, her now black eyes locked with his. "I don't usually kill humans, but for you, I'll make an exception. The second you messed with me and mine, you got a death warrant stamped on your forehead."

"You won't kill me," Chase scoffed through a mouthful of blood, smiling up at her. She leaned in close, feeling his intake of breath as she pressed her lips against the lobe of his ear.

"Watch me." And with that, she pulled back and swiftly jerked her arms in a clockwise motion, effectively snapping his neck, and dropped him to the ground, watching as the light faded from his eyes. Letting out a deep breath, she pushed herself off of the sopping ground and pushed the wet hair away from her neck, staring down at the first human she had ever killed. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she spun around only to see a very alive Caleb looking down at her in concern. "Caleb!" She flung herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, finally letting the tears that she had been holding back fall. "I thought you were dead. There was lightning, and I suddenly had all this power... I thought that-..." She looked up as he cupped her cheek in his hand, her tears mingling with the cold rain as it pelted against her face.

"I know," he said gently, giving her a soft smile and rubbing small circles on her back with his free hand. "But I'm fine."

"Then what...?"

"It was my Dad." There was a pause as the two looked at each other, Buffy struggling to understand what he was saying. "I felt it when he..."

"Oh, Caleb," she said, furrowing her brow in concern for her friend. "I'm so sorry... I don't..."

"It's alright," he said, not really looking at her but using his hand to tuck a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear. "He knew what he was doing. It's what he wanted." He looked over her shoulder, and Buffy turned her head to see him staring at Chase's body.

"What do we do with him?" she asked in a soft voice, still somewhat shocked at killing a human even though she had thought that he had killed one of her best friends. Without another word, Caleb removed his hand from her face and waved it in the direction of the body, and Buffy watched in awe as it seemed to melt into the earth.

"Come on," he said, using the hand on the small of her back to gently push her in the direction of his car. "Lets get out of here."

"Hey, Caleb?" she asked, stopping and turning around to smile up at his questioning face. "Happy birthday."

--

THE END! (or is it? hehe)

Well, that's the story for now. I know that this was a hideously long chapter, but I wanted to get it done. Sorry if you had to suffer through it! ) But yes, I will be writing a few stories pairing Buffy with the boys, but they might not come for a while. I've got school work to do, and I want to update a few of my other fics first. Leave me a review on your way out to let me know if you liked it!


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